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Despite more than 82 million cases and more than 1.75 million deaths due to COVID-19, many people are determined to stick with normal life. For some, that includes attending Saturday night ragers, just like in the Before Times. Reports of another secret party being broken up by law enforcement are alarmingly common.
Getting guests to these secret parties is at least a little harder now that Apple has removed Vybe Together – an app with a headline that invited users to ‘dress up their party’ from the App Store. The Verge pointed out that the app largely flew under the radar until a tweet of Taylor Lorenz of the New York Times brought a bit of an unwelcome but much-needed investigation to the app. One of Lorenz’s tweets highlighted Vybe Together’s TikTok account, which featured videos of unmasked people partying indoors while advertising New Year’s Eve parties. According to Business Insider, TikTok has since removed Vybe Together’s account for violating community guidelines.
Vybe Together’s questions at least acknowledged the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are aware that Covid is a major health problem for the country, our communities, our friends and family. If we can all just be in isolation, it could actually disappear.” So far so good.
“Holding large-scale parties is very dangerous,” the FAQ continued. “That’s why we do not support it. But Vybe is a compromise, no big parties, but small gatherings.”
The problem is that the number of people from different households who can gather safely inside and outside the city, in places like New York, where the app advertises, is zero. The behavior that Vybe encouraged together is inherently dangerous, for the participants and for those with whom they live.
A spokesman explained that the app is really meant for small gatherings. ‘Vybe Saam was [a minimum viable product] designed to help other people organize small gatherings in parks or apartments during COVID, ‘the spokesman told The Verge. intentions, which have since been removed. We do not condense large unsafe parties during a pandemic. ‘
They only condone small, unsafe parties.