San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) criticized several “reckless” beachgoers for celebrating Burning Man in her city after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the actual festival in Nevada.
“Last night, over 1,000 people crowded on Ocean Beach to celebrate Burning Man,” Breed tweeted Sunday. “This was absolutely reckless [and] selfish. You are not celebrating. You are putting people’s lives at risk. You are putting our progress at risk. No one is immune from spreading the virus.”
Breed warned people on Sunday night that law enforcement would be patrolling Ocean Beach and its parking lots to deter beachgoers from starting another party.
“We know people love Burning Man [and] people want to get together this weekend,” she said. “But we all need to do our part. Stay home, stay safe.”
San Francisco has reported 9,979 cases of the coronavirus and 86 deaths as of Monday afternoon.
Organizers of the Burning Man Project, the organization behind the Burning Man arts and music festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, announced that the festival would go virtual in April.