Coronavirus: House Parties Driving Infections in Los Angeles

The local Fox station in Los Angeles has been doing some reporting on the underground party scene. Here's what they reported on Nov 26th:

As coronavirus case numbers continue to rise and we face tighter restrictions, it's restaurants that are paying the price. Restaurant owners have expressed fear that the outdoor dining ban, which kicked in Wednesday night, may put them out of business for good.

However, evidence shows it's private parties and large gatherings that are fueling the spread. And so far, nothing has been able to slow it down.

. . . Fast-forward the clock and we're back in Pomona again ahead of this Thanksgiving week, watching as what appears to be underage teens arriving with racks of beer. Others walk in the street with tanks of nitrious. While inside, the party rages on.

We saw officers with the Pomona Police Department arrive. An officer walks up to the house, talks to somebody and then walks back into his car and then drives away.

I'm sure somewhere in one of their prior reports, Fox News provided the evidence that private parties are the driver behind the spread of the virus. I wish they had provided a link to this evidence. If true, does it really make sense that outdoor dining it being banned? The LA Times (Nov 25) attempts to contradict FOX LA on the risk of outdoor dining, but really can't fully do so as the data isn't provided the way they need it: 

Restaurants have been identified around the world as a danger spot for transmitting COVID-19. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found that adults with positive coronavirus test results were about twice as likely to have reported dining at a restaurant than those who tested negative.

The CDC study did not distinguish between indoor and outdoor restaurant settings. Although outdoor settings are safer than indoor settings, you can still get infected with the coronavirus while sitting at an outdoor restaurant, as diners don’t wear masks while eating and the virus can spread through talking and even breathing.

Since most dining in Los Angeles has been outside for awhile now, I'd think that there is data on this. Back to the local Fox station report, seriously, police are just allowing parties to rage in Los Angeles county?

These underground parties can get dangerous. The Fox station (Nov 17) reported this:

FOX 11’s undercover cameras were rolling as several volleys of gunfire broke out at a large underground party in violation of health orders in Ontario Saturday night.

. . . The party promoter later posted an angry message on social media saying that he typically hires armed security, and the one time he doesn’t, people decide to act stupid and shoot into the air.

He said, as a result, he won’t host another party again until next month.

Luckily, no one died so I'm going to say this: the reaction of the party promoter is amusing.