Chainsmokers: Concert organisers fined £15,000 for failing to make guests wear masks

Electronic duo sparked backlash after sharing footage from packed concert on social media

The organisers of a Chainsmokers concert have been fined $20,000 (£15,000) for failing to enforce coronavirus safety measures during an event in July.

The electronic duo came under fire this summer after sharing footage from a concert in the Hamptons to social media in which audiences appeared to be tightly packed together.

At the time, New York governor Cuomo branded the concert “an illegal and reckless endangerment of public health” and called for an investigation into the event.

On Wednesday (15 October), he announced its results, with music promoters In The Know Experiences being fined $20,000 (£15,000) for holding a “non-essential gathering” and failing to make ticket holders wear masks.

In the future, the Hamptons town of Southampton will additionally not be able to approve permits for large group gatherings without going through the state.

Electronic duo The Chainsmokers shared footage from packed concert on social media (Getty Images for Vevo)

“[The concert] was an egregious violation of the critical public health measures we have had in place since the beginning of this pandemic to protect New Yorkers from Covid-19,” Cuomo said in a statement.

“We will continue to hold people and businesses accountable for their actions and the local governments must enforce the rules or else we will hold them accountable as well.”

The concert was intended to raise money for a number of charities, with tickets reportedly ranging between $1,250 (£970) to $25,000 (£19,400).

Guests were meant to stay in their cars, but footage shared on social media showed packed crowds dancing together while not wearing masks.

Attendance required guests to fill an online Covid-19 questionnaire, wear a mask they were given upon arrival, and have their temperatures checked by staff.

The show was opened by DJ D-Sol, the onstage alter-ego of Goldman Sachs SEO David Solomon.