The annual Christmas get together at Maiden Cay, just off the coast of Port Royal, took place on Sunday despite calls for people to remain at home in an attempt to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

This fête sees the well-to-do anchor their yachts and look upon those wading onto the sands to party the day away. It’s something akin to a penguin colony with drinks and the latest tunes banging out on the sound system. There are plenty of happy feet!

With the pandemic besieging the world and case numbers increasing in Jamaica, it was not expected that the uptown crowd would deign to venture to Maiden Cay, ice coolers in tow, this Christmas season.

The call not to gather at parties, maintain social distancing and wear masks fell on deaf ears as Jamaica’s answer to the flourishing at play at Nantucket’s beach party kept up the tradition.

It was only when the police caught wind of what was going on, via videos posted on social media, that they attempted to put an end to the flagrant disregard for the national messaging of no partying during this most testing of times.

Click here to see snippets of the ‘uptown soiree’.

Jason McAteer, a Jamaican who attends Harvard, speaking to Our Today said: “I love the Maiden Cay party and go every Christmas. It is a top uptown lime and it is all about the quality of people there. Last year, Usain Bolt, Peter Bunting, Julie Kay and Leon Bailey were there. I had to be there, and my friends were having a great time. If ghetto people can hold a dance and don’t get hassle why can’t uptown people? No one gets shot or stabbed at Maiden Cay, so what’s the problem?”

So far, the police have not made any arrests and are continuing with their investigations.

Denise Gibbon, a former contributor to the New York Post, said: “Those videos say a lot about life in Jamaica. It makes it very difficult for the Prime Minister, Dr Tufton and Desmond McKenzie to go before the country and talk about social distancing and no parties if the children of the affluent are out on yachts living it up for all to see.”

The issue has sparked fierce backlash and decried societal double standards on Twitter.

“You can’t lock up ordinary folk from ‘Jungle’ or Flankers who want a little release and hold a ‘bashment’ over the season after such a hard year after seeing this. Nothing will come of this because the parents of most of the kids who were at Maiden Cay are financial donors to both political parties. They are untouchable. The fact remains there are two Jamaicas—always has and always will be.”

Our Today understands that once the Maiden Cay beach party was brought to its attention, the marine police moved to immediately shut it down.