Barack Obama’s 60th birthday bash: Everything we know, including COVID-19 protocols
Barack Obama is turning 60 on Wednesday and he’s marking the milestone with a celebration.
The Obamas are hosting an outdoor party in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, to celebrate the former president’s birthday with friends, family and former staff members, a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly told USA TODAY. In order to promote safety, guests are required to adhere to all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public health protocols, including a testing regimen managed by a COVID-19 coordinator.
Concerns about COVID-19 transmission reignited after the delta coronavirus variant caused a sharp spike in cases around the country in recent weeks. For the first time in more than three months, cases in the U.S. average more than 60,000 per day, according to USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data.
The Obamas have been strong advocates for the vaccine, emphasizing “the need and the urgency of our communities getting vaccinated” in a video with Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley in April and getting vaccinated themselves one month earlier.
“Now, as the vaccine becomes more available, I want to make sure that our communities, particularly ones – African American, Latino – as well as young people understand that this will save lives and allow people to get their lives back to normal,” Obama said at the time. “The sooner we get more people vaccinated the better off we’re going to be.”
CDC recommendation that people in COVID-19 hot spots resume mask-wearing in indoor public spaces.
Obama’s event will be held outdoorsin Martha’s Vineyard, and all invitees will be required to follow CDC public health protocols, including a testing regimen managed by COVID coordinator. Negative tests will also need to be presented by all guests.
Martha’s Vineyard does not currently qualify as an area of “substantially high” risk according to CDC standards. The Massachusetts Department of Health updated its guidance Friday to advise fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks indoors. An advisory issued last week in Martha’s Vineyard mandates masks for indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status.
Some users on social media still criticized Obama for organizing an event during a pandemic.
“I’m also turning sixty this month. Big @BarackObama fan but am shocked to hear” about the birthday party, wrote user @WriterWeegs, who added that she is “vaccinated and canceled a party of four.”
One user noted that despite the implemented health guidelines, “the optics on this are horrible.”
“We’re still in a pandemic,” wrote user @emarceg.
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Which celebrities are on the guest list for Barack Obama’s birthday party?
No official guest list has been released, but President Joe Biden will not be attending. Instead, he will catch up with the former president later, the source confirmed.
Big-name celebrities including Beyoncé, Ellen DeGeneres, Usher and John Legend attended Obama’s 55th birthday celebration at the White House in 2016. Celebrities including Samuel L. Jackson, Smokey Robinson and Jay-Z also made appearances at former first lady Michelle Obama’s 50th party in 2014.
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The Obamas encourage charitable donations instead of birthday gifts
In lieu of gifts, the Obamas are encouraging guests to donate to programs that work to support youth, such as My Brother’s Keeper, which helps young men of color; the Girls Opportunity Alliance, which empowers adolescent girls around the world; or the Obama Foundation’s Global Leadership programs, which aim to equip the next generation of emerging leaders.
Contributing: Karen Weintraub
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