Desk Report
Publish: 04 Aug 2021, 11:25 pm
Ex-US President Barack Obama (Photo: Collected)
Barack
Obama has scaled back plans for a big 60th birthday party this weekend, paring
down a guest list of the rich and famous numbering in the hundreds due to the
spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
"The
outdoor event was planned months ago in accordance with all public guidelines
and Covid safeguards in place," Hannah Hankins said in a statement issued
a day after the planned bash drew criticism, mainly from conservatives.
"Due
to the new spread of the Delta variant over the past week, the president and
Mrs Obama have decided to significantly scale back the event to include only
family and close friends," Jenkins said.
The
celebration is to take place Saturday on the upscale island of Martha's Vineyard,
and it had been expected to draw hundreds of former Obama administration
officials, Democratic donors and celebrities, reportedly including George
Clooney, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, according to The Washington Post.
It
is to be held outdoors at an oceanside estate in full compliance with
guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with all guests
needing to be vaccinated and test negative for the virus, news reports said.
Still,
conservatives lashed out at Obama.
Republican
congressman Jim Jordan, a loyalist of Obama's successor Donald Trump, took to
Twitter to joke that "if this was President Trump's birthday,"
Democrats would be saying "How can someone be so reckless?" or
"They're killing people."
"Is
there an exception for parties attended by rich liberal celebrities?"
demanded Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee chairwoman.
The
Trump administration made headlines on numerous occasions for organizing
maskless events in the White House or in government departments, or holding
campaign rallies, including at the height of the pandemic and before vaccines
were widely available.
In
particular, a ceremony in honor of Amy Coney Barrett, whom Trump appointed to
the Supreme Court, was suspected of being a superspreader event that led to the
infection of a dozen people, including Trump himself.
Eighteen
Trump campaign rallies were the source of more than 30,000 coronavirus cases
and likely led to more than 700 deaths, according to a December 2020 study by
researchers at Stanford University.
President
Joe Biden -- who served as Obama's vice president -- was not expected to attend
the Obama party.
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Topic : Barack Obama Birthday Party
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