College Students Are Throwing 'COVID Parties' To Gamble On Who Gets Sick

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Throughout the United States, the people who are taking the coronavirus seriously and those who think the whole thing is a hoax continue to divide more and more. At this rate, we might not be safe to leave our houses until 2023.

According to reports from Insider, college students in Tuscaloosa, Alabama have been throwing parties recently, in which they invite people infected with COVID-19 and gamble on who comes down with the illness first. Tuscaloosa City Councilor Sonya McKinstry told ABC News about the insane practice on Wednesday, though the city’s fire chief, Randy Smith, first reported the parties at a meeting on Tuesday.

Smith says the fire service had received reports of students throwing parties and inviting “known positives,” but initially thought it was just a rumor.

“Not only did the doctor’s offices help confirm it, but the state confirmed they had the same information,” Smith said, according to WBMA.

On Wednesday, McKinstry went into more detail about the parties, telling ABC News that attendees at these parties were gambling on who would get sick next.

“They put money in a pot and they try to get COVID. Whoever gets COVID first gets the pot,” she said. “It makes no sense.”

While officials did not mention which college the students attend, the largest school based in Tuscaloosa is the University of Alabama.

As of Thursday, Alabama had confirmed more than 38,000 cases of the coronavirus, which includes 2,049 in Tuscaloosa County. According to state figures, more than 2,800 people have been hospitalized with infections and 947 have died.