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Neighbors Call Out Young People In South Boston For Parties During Pandemic

SOUTH BOSTON (CBS) - If you check the City of Boston's 3-1-1 non-emergency log, you'll see a flood of messages from neighbors in South Boston calling out young people for partying in large groups without masks.

"Loud party, no masks, and not social distancing," one message reads. "Crazy loud party with 20 people and no masks," another one says. "Loud party has been going on for hours and is not following Covid guidelines."

"It's disappointing," Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn told WBZ. While parties in Southie are not out of the norm, it's a lack of regard for the pandemic that has upset him. "The young people that are having these parties: think of your own parents or your own grandparents," Flynn said. "You know, wouldn't you want someone to treat them with respect and dignity?"

Without calling out South Boston specifically, Governor Baker also targeted private "gatherings" and people in their 20s and 30s as the greatest contributors to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts. "That community more than almost any other at this point is driving the single biggest increase in cases," he said.

"It's a little annoying," Southie resident Genevieve Norton told WBZ. "It feels almost irresponsible really. That's all I can equate it to. It's irresponsible."

"People have outdoor spaces and where they can use it for small gatherings, great," Imran Oomer of South Boston told WBZ. "There's absolutely nothing that suggests that people anywhere should be gathering in mobs, so it shouldn't be happening in Southie or anywhere."

"Young people want to enjoy life," Bob Cappucci added. "It's very hard for them to comprehend that you have to be disciplined about this. With all due respect, they're not at a maturity level yet - they think they are, but they're not."

Councilor Flynn told WBZ he's considering proposing a higher fine for parties that violate COVID-19 guidelines, saying he doesn't want to have to charge anyone, but is increasingly concerned about a lack of regard for the rules.

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