Hamptons Chainsmokers concert could have civil, criminal repercussions

Local officials in the Hamptons could face “civil fines and potential criminal liability” over a packed weekend concert featuring The Chainsmokers that flaunted social distancing restrictions, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. Cuomo said Southampton’s Saturday night “drive-in” charity gig — that drew in excess of 2,000 concertgoers — was “grossly disrespectful to fellow New Yorkers” …

Local officials in the Hamptons could face “civil fines and potential criminal liability” over a packed weekend concert featuring The Chainsmokers that flaunted social distancing restrictions, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.

Cuomo said Southampton’s Saturday night “drive-in” charity gig — that drew in excess of 2,000 concertgoers — was “grossly disrespectful to fellow New Yorkers” and is now the subject of a state health department probe.

“The concert that happened in the town of Southampton was just a gross violation of not only the public health rules, it was a gross violation of common sense,” the governor said during a briefing.

“There have also been reports that we have been receiving about behavior in the village of Southampton that has been ongoing and recurring that also violates the public health regulations,” he said. “So, that (investigation) is ongoing and that is being handled by the Department of Health, violations public health law has civil fines and a potential for criminal liability, so we’re taking that very seriously.”

Cuomo announced the state investigation Monday, slamming the show for “egregious social distancing violations.”

In a letter to town officials Monday, state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said he was “extremely disturbed” by the gathering, with images from the concert showing fans shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the Water Mill stage.

In addition to The Chainsmokers, the show included opening performances by Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman’s band and Goldman Sach’s CEO David Solomon, aka DJ D-Sol.

Schneiderman told The Post Tuesday that the town permit for the event did not allow concertgoers to cluster together — but said “we will hold the organizers accountable for that.”

“I reviewed some of the aerial videos and pictures, and for the bulk of the event it looks like they followed the guidelines and at the very end of the event they deviated and that’s unfortunate,” he said.

“I did ask the organizers to identify how many people entered that pit. It’s not clear but it was roughly 100. I’ve asked that they all be tested and if anyone is positive we will make steps to try to make sure they are quarantined.”

The organizers insisted in a statement that they followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for the show, “and made best efforts to ensure New York’s social distancing guidelines were properly maintained throughout the event.

The organizers, The Know Experiences and Invisible Noise, said attendees were told to remain within their designated section to observe social distancing, and were offered masks and hand sanitizer. They said the announcement was made every 30 minutes, they claimed.

The event raised money for No Kid Hungry, the Southampton Fresh Air Home, and CHildren’s Medical Fund of New York, they said.