Controversial YouTuber Jake Paul has been appropriately slammed for hosting a massive party at a mansion in the middle of a global pandemic. Like, in a U.S. state that is seeing a massive rise in confirmed cases and hospitalisations.
Earlier this week, Paul held a party at his mansion home in Calabasas, California, where he invited hundreds of his friends and other internet personalities. From footage below, we clocked Bryce Hall and Tana Mongeau. And, unsurprisingly, given we’re in a global pandemic right now, it’s a total violation and breach of social distancing measures put in place to help lower the spread of COVID-19.
Everything about this story is straight up disappointing. According to ABC News, residents complained that hundreds were seen closely gathered and partying… and not a single one of them wore a face mask. One distressing clip in particular shows dozens of partygoers crowded next to each other in a single living room. Another shows some, including Hall, hanging off a moving bulldozer crane in the backyard.
And, while this was all happening, LA-based YouTuber Tanner Fox, who allegedly attended the party, shared a video claiming he tested positive for COVID-19. Of course, the timing wouldn’t add up to him catching the virus at Paul’s party, but it does make us wonder, who else at this party caught COVID-19? All it takes is just one person to spread it, especially at a crowded event full of people not wearing a face mask.
As of writing, Paul has not responded to the backlash—except for retweeting a tweet that reads “f*** you, [Jake Paul]”. Needless to say, this whole story has left the mayor of Calabasas, California, Alicia Weintraub, gutted and outraged.
“I was very upset that somebody would hold such an outrageous gathering in our community,” Weintraub told ABC News. “We’re trying to do everything we can to get our numbers down and keep our community safe, and something like this just does the opposite.”
We shouldn’t need to say it but, please, don’t try to recreate any of the behaviour seen in these videos. In case you were living under a rock for the last six months, we’re literally in a pandemic right now, one that, according to the John Hopkins University of Medicine, has so far killed nearly 600,000 people and infected 13.7 million. The U.S. has the most confirmed cases with 3.5 million and nearly 150,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles alone.
Plus, we still don’t know the long-term effects of this disease, so even if you’re not vulnerable to infection, doing this sort of thing still puts your life and others at risk. Even here in Australia, the best thing we can all do right now is continue to practise social distancing, wear face masks and not host big mansion parties… please.
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