Coronavirus: Kirk Cameron hosts New Year’s Eve event in California despite case surge

Actor Kirk Cameron hosted a large gathering in California on New Year’s Eve in defiance of stay-at-home orders issued throughout the state to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to multiple reports.

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Dozens of people joined Cameron at Point Mugu State Park in Ventura County for the event, dubbed a “Sunset Singing and Prayer Event,” according to People. In video of the gathering posted to his Instagram account, neither Cameron nor any of the people around him appear to be wearing masks.

Cameron, 50, held two caroling events last month in Thousand Oaks despite a surge in reported COVID-19 cases throughout Southern California, KABC-TV reported. At his events, the “Growing Pains” star does not mandate social distancing, enforce crowd size restrictions or require that attendees wear masks, according to KCBS-TV.

In a video posted on Instagram, he defended his decision to host the events, saying that the public health danger posed by stay-at-home orders “is far worse to the vast majority of the population than the coronavirus.” He also argued that masks are ineffective at stymying the spread of the virus.

>> Related: Coronavirus: Actor Kirk Cameron criticized for staging outdoor singalong in California

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, studies show wearing a face mask can help to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.

As of Friday, the U.S. continues to lead the world with more than 20 million reported COVID-19 cases, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. The number is nearly double the 10.2 million cases reported in India, the country with the second-highest number of infections.

Since the novel coronavirus was first detected in the U.S. in January 2020, more than 346,800 people have died of coronavirus-related causes nationwide, according to Johns Hopkins.

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