Hundreds of young people party in Washington Square Park, raising coronavirus concerns

Hundreds of young people gather in Washington Square Park for party

On Friday night, crowds of young people gathered in Greenwich Village for what appeared to be a party, with many not wearing masks and disregarding social distancing guidelines.

NEW YORK - Social distancing has been an issue at college campuses across the country, including at New York University.

Video shows a tightly packed group of students partying in Washington Square Park on Friday night, most without masks, singing, and dancing in groups like a pandemic didn't exist.

The event was eventually broken up by the NYPD, but this isn't the first time the park has attracted large crowds violating social distancing regulations.

Coronavirus cases rising on colleges

Colleges and universities have emerged as the new coronavirus hotspots across the nation, and students themselves are the ones to blame.

Earlier this week, NYU suspended at least 20 students for violating coronavirus rules after Governor Andrew Cuomo called out the university for not breaking up the same type of gathering in the same park last weekend.

Despite the crowds, some NYU students say that they don't agree with others who are out partying.

"I'm here from outside the U.S. and my country closed its borders, so if NYU closes down, I can't go back home so I'm hoping people are respectful," one student told FOX 5 NY.

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