Michigan Lake Party Video Shows Hundreds Ignoring Social Distancing, Not Wearing Masks

The turnout was massive at Diamond Lake in Michigan on Saturday, in spite of the coronavirus pandemic. A video from the scene went viral on Twitter, showing tightly-packed crowds of people dancing in swimsuits. While some were wearing masks, most viewers seemed to agree that the party was an unnecessary risk to take during this crisis.

Local news reporter Max Lewis posted a video from Cass County, Michigan that went viral over the weekend, showing Fourth of July revelers dancing their hearts out on a Michigan shore. Lewis observed: “Looks like a recipe for disaster” with a face-palm emoji. Many readers seemed to agree, wondering how these partygoers were justifying their behavior in their own minds. Some wondered whether masks made a difference at that close range.

“Not at all advisable, obviously,” wrote journalist and professor Zeynep Tufekci. “That said anything outdoors seems to be much less risky, even when people do their best to push sensible boundaries. So not a good thing at all but still better outdoors than a club.”

A thread soon emerged within the replies on Twitter, with users tagging Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and asking her for a response to this video. Some wanted her to make gatherings like this illegal, most likely by reinstituting a stay-at-home order for the state.

“I live and work in Cassopolis, this concerns me. Our small lake community is not equipped to handle a large outbreak,” one person tweeted.

At the time of this writing, Michigan is on a relatively calm streak with its coronavirus statistics. According to a report by MLive, the state had no new coronavirus deaths on Sunday for the first time since mid-March. However, with the virus’ dormant period, any new infections picked up on Saturday will not begin to show up in public until later this month.

Coronavirus cases are on the rise around the U.S., most prominently in states that have tried to reopen public spaces and businesses. On Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci told the United States Senate that about half of new cases were coming from just four states — Arizona, California, Florida and Texas.

Texas and Florida were two of the first to enact reopening plans, and are now being hit hard by the virus. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made face masks mandatory in parts of the state this weekend, as he has been forced to roll back aspects of his reopening timeline. Likewise, Florida had to close some of its most popular beaches this holiday weekend and enact a curfew in some areas.