As people head out to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend after being cooped up inside their homes since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, it appears as though some aren’t taking seriously social distancing guidelines. Hundreds of people gathered at a bar at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri to celebrate the holiday with a massive pool party. After video of the event went viral, partygoers are getting slammed for it.
As the U.S. death toll from COVID nears 100,000, this is how people spent Saturday at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. pic.twitter.com/EBZKCQjRKf
— Mark Elliott (@markmobility) May 24, 2020
Thousands couldn’t help but add their input with mixed reactions. One person said, “Good by them. The mortality rate for healthy young people is less than the flu. Sunlight kills the virus. Humidity suppresses the virus. Outdoors transmission risk is minuscule (sic). How is it so many don’t know these basic facts?” Someone else with an opposing view wrote, “Who says they’re gonna keep it in Missouri? A third of these ppl will have spread it across the country within a week. That’s why Trump + Rs turning a highly contagious lethal virus into a culture war is: intent to kill. These ppl are basically viral suicide bombers. It’s war.” Another Twitter user used three words to describe the group of people saying, “Brainwashed, privileged and indifferent.”
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One commenter seemed to agree with the gathering as they threw out numbers that maybe put a few minds at ease, writing, “Covid-19 is 0.05% deadly in category 0-49 years in US. So statistically they will survive. Protect the elderly. Its (sic) more probable that people in film die in traffic (0.07 percent). So hopefully the[y] take care on their way home from party.” The user who posted the original video shared another one with followers that showed a bird’s-eye view of the pool party.
Memorial Day is the first major holiday for Americans since the coronavirus spread throughout the nation. While states are currently reopening, officials are still urging citizens to practice safe social gatherings. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are six different things someone can do to keep safe: Stay 6 feet away from others, wear a face mask, avoid large gatherings, stay home if you’re 65 or older, avoid indoor spaces that aren’t your home, and continue good hygiene practices.
