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Barack Obama is reducing the big party scheduled for his 60th birthday amid concerns over the nationwide increase in Covid-19 cases, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.
“Due to the new spread of the Delta variant over the past week, the President and Mrs. Obama have decided to drastically reduce the event to include only family and close friends,” said Hannah Hankins, door -speak of the former president, in a press release. declaration. “He appreciates that others send their birthday greetings from afar and looks forward to seeing people soon.”
About 700 people, including Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney, were due to gather this weekend at the former president’s mansion on Martha’s Vineyard, an island in Massachusetts.
David Axelrod, a former senior Obama adviser, told the New York Times that guests were asked if they were vaccinated and to provide the results of a Covid-19 test near the event.
But over the past two weeks, the White House and local governments have adjusted Covid-19 guidelines on masks and gatherings as cases of infection increase in every state.
About 52% of the U.S. population did not receive the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Vaccines are very effective against hospitalization and death for all current variants, but vaccinated people with so-called “breakthrough” infections can transmit the virus. Scientists are still trying to understand the rates of infection in people who are vaccinated and how likely they are to pass it on to someone else.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said on Tuesday he was not invited to Obama’s party and would have declined the invitation anyway. “I think 700 people at an event like this is not a good idea,” said Baker, who expressed concern about the elderly and people with diseases that put them more at risk. serious infection with Covid-19.
Baker said: “For some of us we don’t fall into those categories, it might not be as bad especially if you are vaccinated. But even if you are vaccinated among some of these most vulnerable populations, we should all be very careful. “
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