With the OP's permission (and all names/pics redacted), here is one family's experience with ignoring social distancing, just in the past two weeks. OP gave me the go to share this, in the hopes you can convince your family/friends to shelter in place. 1/

March 14th. 2/

March 14th. 3/

March 14th. OP decides to not attend, family annoyed, but OP reassured by Twitter friends. 4/

OP confronts one particular Aunt who went, but tried to bargain with a killer contagious disease. 5/

March 15th. 6/

March 15th, Fat Tuesday and 2 days before St. Patricks Day, the week a lot of spent staring aghast at New Orleans and packed bars around the country. (By now the news coming out of Italy is horrifying.) 7/

March 15th. 8/

March 15th. 9/

March 15th. 10/

March 16th. One of thousands of stories of our parents/grandparents disregarding warnings to stay home, to stay away from sick people. 11/

March 16th. 12/

March 19th. OP hears the worst news from relatives in Italy. 13/

March 19th. 14/

March 19th. In Italy, with so much needless death from COVID-19, families cannot attend funerals, and the sick die far from them too. By now (19th) it's happening here in the US, too. 15/

March 28th. "The Party"'s Aftermath finally hits. 16/

March 30th. 17/

March 30th. OP updates us on her parents. (Does this sound like anyone else's mom/grandma/aunt right now?) 18/

March 29th (sorry a little out of order!) OP notes that Aunt had not shared that her husband was so sick, so other partygoers have no idea their potential positive status, and that they could be spreading it further. 19/

Another friend notes that Denial is our country's biggest coping mechanism. (Maybe all humans?) Hopefully this thread helps break some denial and save lives. 20/ https://www.thecut.com/2020/03/americans-are-in-denial-about-coronavirus.html

April 1st. More details on current hospitalizations from party attendees. Someone also asked if the hosts had been MAGA, ironically not. 21/

March 30th. (Sorry out of order a bit) The likely Patient Zero at the party, thankfully recovering. Remember this was all in less than three weeks after the party. 22/

April 1st. More patient updates. If I understood OP correctly, the hospitalized are the Birthday Uncle, for whom the Aunt insisted on not cancelling his 60th birthday, and two people who didn't even go to the party--they are the spouse and child of other attendees. 23/

I think I forgot to note--there has already been one death as well, the Birthday Uncle's brother died 3 days ago of it. Now OP and family are hoping and praying the three on ventilators pull through. 24/

Going to repost one to reiterate how being obstinate can cause older people to get very sick and die right now. 25/

OP and others (including me) on having to watch our parents take ridiculous chances, not really believing it will happen to them. 26/

Discussion on, when do we have to do what they won't do for themselves? To keep them safe and healthy? I'll post more updates (with OP's permission.) Please do not repost outside of Twitter, at OP's request. 27/