Hundreds of revelers appeared to be partying in a house on Chicago’s West Side on Saturday night, according to a viral video posted on Facebook.
The video, which has been shared more than 50,000 times and viewed at least 969,000 times as of Sunday, showed a packed house full of people, with few wearing face coverings.
Chicago Police could not confirm the exact location of the party, but many West Side residents told WGN it took place in their neighborhood.
The department released the following statement on Saturday:
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 will disperse crowds in violation of social distancing requirements, and if necessary, issue citations or as a last resort, enforce via arrest.
Neighboring residents were upset at the overcrowding, and disregard for others that they might be spreading coronavirus to without even realizing it.
“This upsets me because everyone is thinking about themselves and not others that they may be spreading it to,” Chicago resident Jayna Lynn told WGN. “Death just doesn’t seem like something to be serious about to most during this pandemic.”
In Cook County, where Chicago is located, there are 31,038 active coronavirus cases, with 1,392 deaths from the illness as of Sunday afternoon.