Ryan Nicol
Nine positive COVID-19 tests have been linked to the Winter Party Festival (WPF), a week-long event in Miami Beach which ran in early March. And more attendees are reportedly showing symptoms.
That’s according to the LGBTQ Task Force, which organized the event.
As the Miami Herald noted, the festival ran from March 4 to 10. At that point, some large events in Miami-Dade County — such as Ultra Music Festival and Calle Ocho — had already been voluntarily postponed or canceled.
But Gov. Ron DeSantis did not recommend “mass gatherings” be postponed until March 12. On March 15, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended individuals avoid crowds of more than 50. The next day, March 16, President Donald Trump said people should not gather in groups larger than 10.
Without that guidance, the LGBTQ festival carried on from March 4 to 10. Rea Carey, executive director of the LGBTQ Task Force, told the Herald the group was made aware of the positive tests directly.
“I have been informed directly of 9 people who both attended Winter Party Festival and have since tested positive for COVID-19,” Carey said.
“We understand that there are others who have posted online that they were at WPF and are showing possible symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19.”
Some critics argued at the time the festival should have been canceled. But Miami Beach officials were not among those critics, saying on March 5 the city is “open for business.”
“Regarding WPF, we made the most informed decision at the time, following official guidance available at the time,” Carey said.
“Information and circumstances have changed rapidly since WPF.”
The LGBTQ Task Force did recommend people remain hygienic and wash their hands. Those tips were apparently not sufficient.
“It was extremely packed,” one attendee who later tested positive told the Herald. “You couldn’t even move.”
As of Friday morning, Miami-Dade County now has the most positive tests of any Florida county, surpasses Browrad County. The latest numbers show 101 positive tests in Miami-Dade to Broward’s 96.
Carey has said party-goers should contact her if they become symptomatic so as to increase awareness for other attendees.
“We continue to encourage all WPF guests to monitor their health, practice social distancing, wash hands with soap, use hand sanitizer and contact their doctor if they think they are exhibiting symptoms,” Carey said.
“If one tests positive for COVID-19, we urge them to contact those they were in direct contact with so all can take steps to monitor their health and speak with their doctors.”
One comment
deepthoughts
March 26, 2020 at 2:02 pm
I already know of and have heard of so many people who contracted this at the party and who knows how many are out there with no symptoms spreading it to thousands of people. This is criminal that The National LGBTQ Task Force would let this event go on yet alone the City of Miami Beach and their mayor Dan Gelber as he was demonstrating hands free handshakes? Did they all forget the event is multiple dance parties filled to capacity? It this for real? Was he and Rea Carey who is the executive director of The Task Force living under a rock not knowing how infectious this is how how easily it spreads? Of course they knew. Shame them and all the other greedy people who work for this non-profit to put money greed over the safety of everyone. Did they not learn any lessons from the Aids epidemic? The Task Force has been around since 1973 and lived through the aids crisis. Is their memory that short they do not remember the horror the community lived through. Their actions and behavior is despicable. Any sponsor who supports this organization and the Winter Party should immediately stop because their reputation is at risk.
The Task force said they put out a flyer which said:
“Don’t go back to the dance floor all nasty. Who wants to ruin their vibe by getting sick,” reads a flier for the festival. “Regular handwashing, particularly before and after certain activities (don’t make us list them here), is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick and prevent the spread of germs to others.”
The statement The Task Force put on Instagram was also full of lies:
“Given what we knew at the time about the virus prior to the WP and working with local Miami Beach officials, we took steps to ensure the safety of the attendees.The educational posters throughout WPF venues and 10,000 hand sanitizers, we distributed over the weekend were both appreciated and utilized by the attendees”.
Really? This is a total lie and the Task Force should be ashamed for printing that. Everyone knew for weeks how contagious this was and that people were dying from it. It has been all over the news at least a month or more before the event. They knew people with compromised immune systems were especially at risk. Have they forgotten many in the gay community are HIV positive? The gay community is the first to judge everyone and scream as loud as they can and call names yet this is what they do? Not only have many people who came from all over the world to the event have been infected but also the people they have come in contact with when they return home including the elderly people. The Task Force and the City of Miami Beach have now put a stain on the gay community which has fought so hard for so many years to step up and lead by example. It is true that one bad apple can ruin the whole bunch. People may die because of what they did. Both The LGBTQ Task Force and the City of Miami Beach have blood on their hands and must be held accountable.. This organization must be closed and all sponsors who support them must stop immediately. The Mayor of the city of Miami Beach should be thrown out of office. The reputation of the city if forever tarnished.
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