Several attendees at Republican club’s viral holiday party test positive for COVID-19: report

At least three people who attended the Whitestone Republican Club’s indoor holiday party in Queens, N.Y., that went viral have tested positive for COVID-19, The Queens Daily Eagle reports.

The report comes one week after footage from the party went viral, which showed maskless attendees joining a conga line as the person in front holds a Trump 2020 flag. At one point, Vickie Paladino, a GOP candidate for New York City Council, leads the dance.

Among the attendees who tested positive was James Trent, chairman of the Queens Village Republican Club. He told the news outlet that he started experiencing symptoms two days after the party.

Trent said he was admitted to the hospital, and was expected to be released Thursday. He did not directly answer when the Eagle asked whether he regretted attending the party.

“It was a wonderful time and a great party, but I’m not happy I got sick,” he said. 

Another attendee and his wife tested positive after the event, three people familiar with the couple told the Eagle. That couple has not been identified.

The Washington Post reported that at least 50 guests attended the party, even though New York prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people. The gathering, which took place at a restaurant, was held before New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) halted indoor dining on Dec. 14.

The club did not immediately respond to request for comment from The Hill on Wednesday regarding the Eagle’s story. However it defended the party in a Facebook post after it faced backlash.

“Adults have the absolute right to make their own decisions, and clearly many chose to interact like normal humans and not paranoid zombies in hazmat suits,” the post read. “This is for some reason controversial to the people who believe it’s their job to tell us all what to do.”