- Vybe Together, a “secret party app” based in New York, used TikTok to promote a major New Year’s Eve event that appears to break the CDC-recommended security protocol COVID-19.
- TikTok removed the Vybe Together account for violating community guidelines.
- “We are aware that large meetings are not acceptable and we do not promote them. If we see that the events are popular, we withdraw them!” a spokesman for Vybe Together told Business Insider by email.
- Immunologists and health professionals fear that New Year’s Eve parties could cause a peak in hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19
- The other party promotion company, Eventbrite, removed two major party lists in San Francisco, by SF Gate, but kept hundreds of other invitations.
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TikTok said it removed the account from Vybe Together, a “secret party app” that used social media to promote large New Year’s Eve gatherings in New York City that appear to break COVID-19 security protocols.
A video of Vybe Together promoting “secret meetings” in New York City every weekend with videos of crowds indoors without wearing masks was seen almost 11,000 times before TikTok removed the account for violating community guidelines. New York Times reporter Taylor Lorenz first saw the app’s TikTok account.
—Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) December 29, 2020
“We are like Eventbrite, but a lot nicer,” said a spokesman for Vybe Together in an email to Business Insider. “Vybe can be anything from board games to bachata with your neighbors. Many people are isolated and lonely and we wanted to allow them to meet. We are aware that large meetings are not acceptable and we do not promote them. If we see that the events are popular, we take them out! “
Vybe Together allows users to find and create private parties. Only members approved by Vybe Together can use the app.
After facing criticism, Vybe Together removed its FAQ page, contact page and career page from its website. The only remaining Instagram post on the app says “blown out of proportion by the media. WE DO NOT CONDOM LARGE MEETINGS !!!” The Vybe Together website still asks users: “Miss playing bong beer, flirting with strangers and generally having fun with the team?” and invites them to, “Call your rebel.”
Vybe Togeether
According to LinkedIn, Alexander Dimcevski, a former student at Baruch College, founded an app called Trendies in January 2020, which appears to have been renamed Vybe Together. The vybetogether.com domain was registered on September 14, 2020. Vybe Together did not answer questions about the company’s founding, headquarters or investors.
According to its website, Vybe Together is owned by Chaparone Corporation, which Dimcevski registered as a company in New York City at an address in Manhattan on January 24, 2019.
The Vybe Together app, first posted on the App Store four months ago, but was quickly removed after Business Insider asked Apple about it. An Apple representative did not respond to a request for comment.
Immunologists and other experts fear that New Year’s Eve parties could cause a peak in hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. More than 63,000 people died of COVID-19 in December, marking the deadliest month of the pandemic. Governor Gavin Newsom made a request to stay home in California when ICU capacity reached critical levels this month, causing crowded hospitals to put patients in gift shops.
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Researchers and infectious disease specialists have found evidence that COVID-19 spreads more quickly indoors with people without a mask, which can make small meetings risky.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended staying home on New Year’s Eve. If the Americans decide to meet, the CDC said to wear masks, stand two meters away, avoid crowds and avoid alcohol and shouting.
Party promoter Eventbrite removed two large lists of parties in San Francisco by SF Gate, but kept hundreds of other invitations. Critics in social media asked Eventbrite to remove more listings due to the danger of COVID-19 transmission.
Eventbrite laid off 45% of its team in April, Billboard reported, due to the pandemic’s impact on the live events industry. Eventbrite reported 73% less net revenue in the third quarter of 2020 than in the same period last year.
“The global pandemic COVID-19 is a very dynamic situation for everyone, including the creators of the event, who are the hosts, facilitators and owners of the experiences on the Eventbrite platform,” said an Eventbrite spokesman in an email to Business Insider. “Our Community Guidelines have always banned events that promote or contain illegal behavior, and our community plays an essential role in reporting any list or related event content.”
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Health workers recently told Business Insider that they expect COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations to increase after Christmas and New Year’s Eve, which can exacerbate exhaustion among doctors and nurses.
“I am very concerned about the increase after the Christmas and New Year holidays,” San Francisco ER nurse Jason Harrison told Business Insider. “I saw no indication that the population is going to modify or reduce their travel.”