As people in San Francisco shelter in place and New York City was warned to prepare for a similar measure, some 40 people met in New Mexico for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting on Wednesday amid White House pleas to avoid groups as the country battles coronavirus, Reuters informed.
Officials are telling Americans they must practice social distancing and avoid groups of more than 10 people to slow the spread of the pandemic.
But in many places, especially outside large centers, people are defying the message. Among the reasons: The urgency has been slow to become apparent; they do not believe in the steps; or their livelihoods depend on ignoring the guidance.
Large crowds of people were still swimming and sunning themselves on Florida beaches over the weekend. Scores of people were at Walt Disney World Resort before it closed on Sunday, and in Rogers, Minnesota, more than 300 people attended a benefit for a county worker who received a lung transplant last year.
“We ended up dropping the food and running because I felt it was irresponsible,” said Melissa Dooley, who catered the Rogers benefit on Saturday, which was held in banquet hall after the original community center venue cancelled. “We were literally in and out in 10 minutes.”
In Taos, New Mexico, the Alcoholics Anonymous group met in a town park on Wednesday morning after the church building they normally use was closed. They spread out on tables underneath a covered concrete picnic area, some standing on the outside to maintain social distancing.
While they were complying with the state’s ban on gatherings of 100 people or more, they were not following the White House guidance to limit groups to 10 people.
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