ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando’s downtown late-night district burst Thursday night into the New Year’s Eve bash that officials had discouraged, as tight lines grew outside of bars and as revelers filled venues.
What You Need To Know
- People stand in tight lines outside of bars and nightclubs; few masks
- Orlando Police lieutenant roughly estimates downtown crowd at 50,000
- RELATED:
For blocks, people stood in lines outside of bars and nightclubs, most of them without masks or physical distancing. The crowd seemed to grow even after revelers cheered Orlando’s traditional midnight orange drop on the rooftop of Latitudes bar.
At around 1 a.m. Friday, Lt. Joe Capece of the Orlando Police Department estimated a downtown crowd of around 50,000 — similar to the turnout for this year’s downtown Halloween festivities, he said. He emphasized that was rough estimate.
“So far, very well behaved,” Capece told Spectrum News 13. “You can see some are obeying the masks and the social distancing. But, of course, there’s not much we can do about it on the street. We’re on a public street, so people have the right to come out here and enjoy the New Year.”
The big downtown festival happened despite urging from Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Police Chief Orlando Rolon for residents to celebrate the New Year from home, or at least away from crowds, as U.S. deaths from the coronavirus pandemic exceeded 330,000.
Orlando thereby joined the rest of Central Florida and the U.S. in putting a horrible 2020 behind them. Fireworks displays were scheduled in theme parks such as SeaWorld and in cities from Daytona Beach to Mount Dora.
In Orlando, Police Chief Rolon said in a statement Wednesday that he encouraged virtual celebrations, “as the COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting our community.”
Rolon urged residents to wear masks and to practice social distancing at restaurants and businesses.
On Thursday night, Orlando street musician Einn Gibson stood among the few to heed that advice, wearing a mask as he played percussion smack in the middle of it all.
“I just want to take precautions,” Gibson told Spectrum News 13. “I’m not a doctor. I’m not an expert. I want to stay safe. So whatever the guidelines are, I’m just going to follow them.”
Asked about revelers not wearing masks, he said, “You know what? I wish people would follow what’s going on, but I can’t make people do what they don’t want to do.”
Before the festivities hit full stride, Deep Karia and two fellow students from Winter Park’s Full Sail University said they would do their best to keep their masks on when they weren’t enjoying a beverage.
“We’ll try to maintain as much social distance as possible,” Karia said.
They stood as exceptions, as the downtown district swelled into a street party and as some intersections blocked off to traffic looked like a parking lot of people.
Asked what he thought about so many in people such close proximity without masks amid the pandemic, Police Lt. Capece said: “I have a personal opinion. I want everybody to be safe. That’s what I want. I want us all to be safe.”
About 65 officers patrolled the festivities and as of around 1 a.m. had made “very few arrests,” he said.
“It’s been a rough year for people,” Capece said, “so I think that’s why they’re out here and having fun.”