Gov. Andrew Cuomo has condemned a packed Chainsmokers concert that took place in Southampton over the weekend.
In a video shared Monday on Twitter by the Democrat, a massive amount of fans can be seen gathered in front of the stage with little space between one another — visibly less than the recommended six feet meant to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
“Videos from a concert held in Southampton on Saturday show egregious social distancing violations. I am appalled,” Cuomo wrote alongside the video. “The Department of Health will conduct an investigation.”
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He concluded: “We have no tolerance for the illegal & reckless endangerment of public health.”
Billboard reports that the event was a charity fundraiser, with proceeds going to various local charities.
According to 360aproko, organizers assured that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines and state and local health mandates would be adhered to, which included temperature checks upon entry, free face mask hand-outs and frequently-cleaned bathrooms.
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In a statement obtained by the Billboard, the event’s organizers said the video is misleading.
“The video that everyone is talking about was taken from an angle that doesn’t properly convey how careful we were to follow the guidelines created by the CDC,” they said. ‘We did everything in our power to enforce New York’s social distancing guidelines and collaborated with all state and local health officials to keep everyone safe.”
Several other artists including country singer Chase Rice and rock band Great White have also received backlash for performing at shows with seemingly no regard for social distancing during the pandemic.
As of Monday evening in the U.S., there were more than 4.2 million COVID-19 infections and at least 148,009 deaths.
