Homeland security’s slogan, “If you see something, say something” to fight terrorism. We should do the same when it comes to this pandemic. It is not an individual thing. It really takes a village to bring this virus under control.
After sleeping on it and thinking about it with a clear head, I really don’t think it is much of a choice. I will be filling out the anonymous complaint form and will follow up with the sheriff in a few days. I appreciate the “mind your own business” comments but the hard part is those kids won’t “mind their own business” when they go out into the community in the following days and the virus certainly doesn’t.
On a side note, there was an article in the local paper this morning about a travel lacrosse team that played a tournament across state lines (violating all kinds of rules) and the players did not wear masks during play. Now one of the players has tested positive after coming home. All of the players/families knew the risks and chose to participate and the community has to deal with the consequences.
At Woodstock, I believe there was the brown acid and a few more substances involved. 
@helpingmom40 , You’re doing the right thing. You may save lives.
Good luck. Please let us know how it works out.
A buffet? Yikes! Those are great for transmitting illness even without Covid. Yes, I’d report it.
And this is not the social media cancel culture here. This is a threat to a community’s health. The sooner you report it, the more time this company has to come up with an alternative for whatever they are celebrating.
Don’t look at it as getting them in trouble, but getting them to change their behavior.
So interesting to me to see how many would call the number and tell.
For what it’s worth another in favor of telling. This is not a minor thing. We are in the middle of a pandemic.
I make exceptions to minding my own business during a once in a century pandemic.
speaking of the local paper…that was my thought yesterday. Perhaps an aspiring intern wants to do a story.
(obviously, that only works in local communities. The NYT won’t much care.)
I would report it. We need to take the shutdowns seriously in order to get this thing under control so that we can all go back to regular life.
As far as the concern about shutting down a business and causing people to lose jobs, I think in the case in Washington, DC, where the hostess of a party tested positive, all the catering staff had to quarantine, thus losing work.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/the-virus-didnt-stop-a-washington-socialite-from-throwing-a-backyard-soiree-then-the-tests-came-back-positive/2020/07/01/841041ba-ba19-11ea-bdaf-a129f921026f_story.html
The staff may feel pressure to come into work so they won’t be replaced but that doesn’t mean they are all thrilled to go back to work under current conditions. And the whole regional economy may take longer to get back to work if the virus spreads more from a gathering like this.
If the guests are under 21, they don’t all really have great judgement about social distancing, and they don’t have nearly as much practice as older people in turning down invitations.
… or maybe a delayed HS prom.
One more vote for reporting. This is a community health issue. And then the “experts” can evaluate whether the event can occur, whether modifications are needed or whether it needs to be cancelled. Just by submitting the anonymous form, you are just alerting the authorities (health department or whoever oversees these issues) and then they, as the experts can step in.
I’m not sure if I would have had this response early on. While I sheltered and followed all the rules, we knew even less then and I thought this would be over within a few weeks or a few months. It’s clear that’s not happening; we all need to step up, follow the rules and act responsibly.
Buffets are not being run as they were pre-Covid-19. Venues and restaurants are having servers dish out the food at buffets. The people eating at the buffet do not come in contact with the food until they are ready to be seated.
I realize that this won’t change anyone’s mind about whether OP should report the party, which is fine since they are still violating the limit on gatherings, but there are safety measures in effect for eating at events like this.
I think the issue is more the closeness to other people, not the actual touching of food. I don’t worry much about food itself, more like general physical closeness to others, especially inside.
Early in COVID all heck broke loose on our neighborhood FB page. Someone noticed that there was a bunch of cars at the neighborhood private school and a bunch of kids were playing a pick up game of football.
SO many conflicting opinions of whether the group should be reported or not. When it’s a group - and we aren’t talking a group of 10 or less involved in no social distancing and in fact social TOUCHING it was so disturbing to think that everyone of these kids was going to go home to their stay-at-home families and potentially expose them.
So for OP, this event isn’t just about those there but for those in their homes and then in their community. The scale of the event makes it worthy of reporting.
Last evening, taking a walk in my neighborhood, I saw a dozen cars parked and 20 somethings partying at a home. I don’t know the homeowners. I didn’t know any of the party goers. So I walked on and said nothing to them. Honestly since they were minorities I was afraid I’d be called a racist if I said anything about COVID and group gatherings. I don’t know if the police do anything about private parties with lots of people these days.
Good for you for reporting it, OP. That is the correct decision.
“Can you imagine a scenario where it might work within the rules?” Uh, NO, if the maximum number permitted is 50 and they’re planning on 200. I don’t understand people.
Maine has a hotline set up for reports. I will use it if I see egregious violations.
please let us know the outcome. My neighborhood ‘Nextdoor’ has been full of people on both sides of this argument. Many were back in May before anything was open so it was graduation and mother’s day parties. Now parks are open and some of the surrounding counties (and we’re close to the line) so people can do things outside of their own homes.