Quarantine definition: These secret NYC parties are quite the opposite

People like to party. Apparently people like to party so much that they’re willing to risk contracting a virus with no known vaccine or cure at the moment. There have been reports of illicit parties and even speakeasies (history really does repeat itself) nearly since the beginning of quarantine & lockdown procedures.

TikTok star Bryce Hall recently found his Los Angeles home without power as the mayor enacted punishment for Hall’s massive parties. New York has also been seeing clubs secretly opening for gatherings since May, and authorities seem to be having trouble keeping up.

Most recently Brooklyn residents have been frustrated by the apparently very aptly named nightclub The Illmore. The club hadn’t even had its grand opening yet when the pandemic hit. Back in June, Zachary Shepis, a co-founder of the nightclub, said that the club had been created with “pandemic precautions in mind”. This seems to be false if current videos and pictures are anything to go by.

Shepis also said, “While our concerts will be limited until COVID restrictions change, we’ll be offering the space to bands for rehearsals and live streams in the meantime”. This no longer seems to be The Illmore’s focus.

Recently neighbors have seen party-goers milling about on the streets without masks, and internet users have seen pictures from the inside of the nightclub where there is no social distancing and little if any mask-wearing. Among smoke and dark lighting are people dancing and getting up close & personal while the music plays.

Neighbors have confirmed that there have been multiple parties over the past few weeks and a social media post appears to show there are plans for another one happening soon.

One of the DJs wrote online “Don’t worry, we are taking precautions since we are now gonna be indoors, so we will have a contactless thermometer at the door so we can check to make sure everyone is safe to party, plus hand sanitizer And wear a mask if you must!” It’s like they’ve never heard of asymptomatic transmission before.

The Illmore is not a large club, from the outside, it looks like a small garage. So to have even a few dozen strangers inside would seem like a potential hazard of spreading COVID-19, when in reality we should all be keeping separate – contrary to popular belief, we’re still in lockdown.

Another online post showed a video of a man and woman inside The Illmore with the text “Your friendly neighborhood bartenders”. Neither person in the post were wearing a mask. The New York Post did a little digging and found that The Illmore doesn’t appear to have a liquor license according to the State Liquor Authority website. However, they also point out none of the social media posts they saw appeared to have proof of alcohol consumption.

Neighbors are understandably frustrated by the parties. They’re extremely worried these gatherings of young people itching to have some fun will cause a spike in cases in the area. Not long ago, a few raves were raided by police in a neighborhood which had seen a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases.

So, in case you’re wondering, let’s go over some of the pandemic basics.

The definition of a quarantine is: The separation or isolation of a person or animal which may have come into contact with an infectious or contagious disease. If you’ve gone out to a party, been on an airplane, or otherwise wandered about in public without a mask, you should quarantine yourself from other people for two weeks.

The definition of a lockdown during a pandemic is: The act of keeping people confined to individual spaces (in this case homes) to prevent the further spread of an infectious or contagious disease. We should all be doing this as much as possible. You cannot get COVID-19 if you don’t come into contact with people who are exposed, and this is the simplest way to guarantee that.

You should wear a mask. Again, if you’ve been out & exposed without your knowledge, keeping a mask on in public will prevent you from accidentally spitting on or breathing on someone and infecting them.

Social distancing definition: The act of staying six feet apart from others to prevent the spread of disease. Why six feet? When you sneeze, spray spit when you speak (yeah, that’s just a thing that happens, humans are kind of gross), cough, or even breathe, particles are highly unlikely to make it past the six-foot mark. This is something we’ve known for years. Double this precaution with a mask and risks of infection goes down dramatically.

Yes, these things are slightly inconvenient and not a lot of fun. But you know what is even more inconvenient and even less fun? Being sick in a hospital with a ventilator shoved down your throat. Even if you don’t get sick enough to need a hospital the list of symptoms for “less severe” cases are a big bummer.

So please, for the love of humanity, or at the very least the love of your own self. Do not party. Do not go out unless you have to. And wear a functional mask. When all of this is over we can all dance, hug, party, and shake hands again – but for now, let’s not.