NY Republicans.

They claim they will follow the state COVID-19 guidelines but they’re being cagey about the location and how many people have bought tickets.
The New York Young Republican Club does not want to let a little thing get in the way of its annual gala in Manhattan on Thursday, like a lethal pandemic, and there are still concerns about the group’s efforts to stick to prohibitions on public health.

Club president Gavin Wax confirmed in a statement to The Daily Beast that the evening headlined by Gov. Sarah Palin and Project Veritas creator James O’Keefe must conform with what he called the “capricious” rules of New York, which include a 50-person indoor meeting limit.
Yet 68 people had already listed themselves as attending on a Facebook page for the 108th annual gala, and another 239 people said they were “interested,” and Wax did not address follow-up questions about the obvious contradiction. Meanwhile on Tuesday morning, Wax tweeted that the event had sold out.
The Caldwell Warehouse, the original venue for the gathering, has a room for 500 people, but the decision to host it there seemed to be in doubt on Tuesday when the name of the site was abruptly deleted from the Eventbrite page of the gala. The page had been password-protected by Tuesday evening.

A cocktail reception, award banquet, three-course seated meal, and a “premium open bar” were included in the admission fee. Based on company membership, tickets sold for $175 to $325. “The club noted that before entering the area, the temperatures of all visitors will be tested,” and a disclaimer at the bottom of its website notes that by applying for our activities, you recognize and explicitly accept the potential danger of COVID-19 contamination in every location where other persons are present.
The club has a past that can be traced back to the middle of the 19th century, but during the Trump presidency, it took a sudden right turn, welcoming anti-Muslim protester Pamela Geller, conspiracy theory Jack Posobiec, and Pizzagate enthusiast Mike Cernovich to chat, as The Daily Beast has written.

Wax said in a Tuesday statement that for the past 107 years, through two world wars and the Spanish Flu, our club has held its annual gala without interruptions.”

“As an institution, we felt it was important to continue that great legacy and tradition,” he said. In doing so, all state-mandated ability limitations and social distancing requirements would be complied with. When attendees are not seated, masks will be required and temperatures will be taken at the] entrance.

Wax, who said Tuesday in a tweet that he did not take the COVID-19 vaccine, called the “capricious” pandemic restrictions of the administration, stating he disagreed “in principle with both lockdowns and capacity restrictions, as they are unconstitutional and unscientific.”

“They have done nothing to slow the spread of this new disease and are simply measures designed by fear tactics to control and subvert a population,” he said, obviously either dismissive of the many many reports that have proven the efficacy of mask mandates, bans, lockdowns and other non-pharmaceutical measures in preventing the spread of the virus, or unaware of them.