New York swingers club shut down for breaking coronavirus restrictions
New York authorities have said no to Sex and the City – shutting down a swingers club in Queens that was holding a sex party in contravention of restrictions aimed at curbing the rising coronavirus rate.
Caligula New York, which markets itself as a “private upscale on premise swingers club catering to people in the swing lifestyle”, was shut down in the early hours of Sunday morning by local law enforcement and charged with breaking local emergency regulations and serving alcoholic drinks without the proper license, the New York City sheriff’s office said.
When deputy sheriffs arrived, they found 80 people in the venue, including three couples having sex in a small room, according to NBC4 New York.
The club was based in a part of the city where indoor gatherings are currently limited to just 25 people.
New York, which in the spring was the global center of the pandemic, has recently been an island of relative safety as the virus has spread rapidly across the rest of the country. After a strict lockdown, regulations in the city were eased and its famous bars, restaurants and museums were allowed to open again with limits.
But in recent weeks, as local infection rates have ticked up again, its school system has shut down and a further tightening on activities is widely expected.
Two organizers and a patron inside the club were charged with multiple misdemeanors, according to NBC4. The property owner faces a $15,000 fine.