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Property Owners Association: Fire Island Pines beach parties prohibited, house parties regulated

The holiday weekend brought big crowds to Long Island beaches and bars - and in some places, there was no social distancing or mask wearing.

News 12 Staff

Jul 6, 2020, 3:54 PM

Updated 1,606 days ago

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The holiday weekend brought big crowds to Long Island beaches and bars - and in some places, there was no social distancing or mask wearing.
Fire Island Pines drew big crowds on the Fourth of July, and large parties there went viral on Twitter.
Officials say a large party had to be broken up because people were not wearing masks and not social distancing.
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The president of the Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association says Gov. Andrew Cuomo was alerted about the posts on social media and contacted Suffolk County officials, who then sent police to break up one of the multiple parties that were happening.
The Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association says new rules are now in place for the community.
Beach parties are now prohibited, and people have to wear masks on the beach when they can't socially distance. House parties will also be regulated and monitored.
News 12 spoke with several people Monday who came back to Sayville on the ferry from Fire Island Pines. They say aside from the video, most people they saw over the weekend were doing the right thing.
"What I saw was everybody wearing masks, it's hard to go anywhere without seeing people wearing masks. As far as the social distancing, people were trying to social distance. So everything I saw, people have been following the rules," say Raheem Hart, of New York City.
Suffolk Executive Steve Bellone also says he will be increasing police patrols on Fire Island.
Fire Island didn't bring the only controversial footage from the holiday weekend. East Hampton officials say the owners and managers of Rick's Crabby Cowboy Cafe, Ruschmeyer's and Nick's on the Beach in Montauk were charged for allegedly violating COVID-19 safety guidelines.