Viral video shows countless people defy social distancing, revel at jam-packed Chicago house party

The viral video has been shared more than 53,000 times and drew a response from Chicago police

Apr 26, 2020

An untold number of people, some wearing masks while most did not, can be seen partying it up in a crowded Chicago house party streamed on Facebook Live early Sunday morning.

The state of Illinois extended its stay-at-home order until the end of May, but some residents in Chicago allegedly were unbothered by the mandate and partied it up in a big way over the weekend.

And it was streamed on Facebook Live.

The video shows countless people gathered inside a house for a party in, according to WGN-TV, the Second City. Attendees were jam-packed into a room, ignoring orders for social distancing. Some revelers were sporting face masks, while most did without them.

The live stream, which began in the midnight hour Sunday, was shared more than 53,000 times and has received more than 1 million views.

Chicago police issued the following statement in response to the viral moment, as reported by the TV station:

“We are aware of a video circulating on social media depicting a large house party inside of an alleged Chicago residence. While we cannot authenticate the nature or location of the gathering, we want to remind everyone of the social distancing requirements in place.”

“CPD (Chicago Police Department) will disperse crowds in violation of social distancing requirements, and if necessary, issue citations or as a last resort, enforce via arrest.”

This is a startling sight, given that the state of Illinois now has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Midwest. Illinois has more than 41,700 recorded cases as of Sunday afternoon, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

New York state leads the country in COVID-19 diagnoses by a wide margin, followed by New Jersey, Massachusetts, California and Illinois.

What’s more shocking is that Chicago is an epicenter for coronavirus in Illinois. Cook and DuPage counties that encompass Chicagoland account for nearly three-quarters of the state’s 1,875 coronavirus-related deaths.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that the state’s stay-at-home order will be extended through May 30, though with some modifications. As reported by the Chicago Tribune, select businesses, parks and golf courses would be allowed to reopen, but residents would be required to wear masks.

Pritzker made the extension to stop a “second wave” of coronavirus cases from occurring if the state reopened too soon.

“The projections are clear: if we lifted the stay-at-home order tomorrow, we would see our deaths per day shoot into the thousands by the end of May, and that would last well into the summer,” Pritzker said. “No amount of political pressure would ever make me allow such a scenario for our state.”