Prominent EDM act The Chainsmokers performed a concert in The Hamptons of Long Island, New York, which was originally announced as a drive-in charity event. This event has since come under fire by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, after video footage from the event showed concert goers engaging in what he called “egregious social distancing violations.” During his tweet, Cuomo also stated that he would be launching an investigation into this matter.
“Videos from a concert held in Southampton on Saturday show egregious social distancing violations,” Cuomo stated. “I am appalled. The Department of Health will conduct an investigation. We have no tolerance for the illegal & reckless endangerment of public health.”
Event organizers In The Know Experience and Invisible, responded to his complaint, stating that the video Cuomo shared was taken from “an angle that doesn’t properly convey how careful we were to follow the guidelines created by the CDC.” They claimed that each attendee was given a complimentary face mask, had their temperature checked and were required to stay in there 20′ x 20′ parking spot at all times, with the exceptions for bathroom use, where face masks were required. They also claimed that bathrooms were sanitized every 10 minutes and that each parking space was six feet. Video footage showing the event from a different angle can be seen during this local WABC 7 News broadcast.
According to Stereogum, this event reportedly cost between $1,250 and $25,000 for the price of admission, and was presented by FuckJerry’s (a company that helped market the disastrous Fyre Festival back in 2018) JAJA tequila brand, which the duo are co-owners of. All profits for the event were set to go to the charities No Kid Hungry, Children’s Medical Fund Of NY and Southampton Fresh Air Home.
Read the organizers full statement below:
When we decided to produce this Drive-In Concert Fundraiser, our goal was to bring some joy into people’s lives during these difficult times, and do it in the safest possible environment. We also wanted to give back to these important charities, create awareness for these local businesses and provide work to over 350 people who have been unemployed as a result of the pandemic.
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. 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.
Upon arrival, individuals within each car had their temperatures taken and were also provided complimentary face masks before driving to their designated 20′ x 20′ spot. Guests were also instructed that they would not be allowed to leave their designed spots for any reason other than to use the restroom facilities. Announcements and reminders were made every 30 minutes from the main stage, and security guards regularly patrolled the area to encourage mask wearing and promote social distancing guidelines.
We followed all proper and current protocol, including spacing each spot more than six feet apart, positioning sanitizing stations throughout the open grounds, temperature checks for all attendees, sanitization of restrooms every 10 minutes, local security enforcing guests to wear their masks both in and out of their designated areas, contact tracing, clearly marked parking zones, as well as providing complimentary face masks upon arrival.
Photo Credit: Mauricio Alvarado
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