Former President Barack Obama will celebrate his 60th birthday with a big bash at his estate on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, this weekend, reported multiple media outlets.
But the planned party to which a reported 475 guests have been invited has drawn criticism — particularly from the right — amid the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus.
The worrying rise in cases in recent weeks ― especially among the unvaccinated ― has prompted the controversial reintroduction of some COVID-19 safety protocols.
The event will be held outside and all guests must be fully vaccinated and submit negative test results before entrance, per reports. An appointed “COVID-coordinator” will oversee the party. It’s not known if masks will be mandatory.
Guests reportedly invited by Obama, who turns 60 on Wednesday, include director Steven Spielberg, actor George Clooney and talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
President Joe Biden will not attend but “looks forward to catching up with former President Obama soon and properly welcome him to the over-sixty club,” said a White House spokesperson.
Martha’s Vineyard, in Dukes County, is currently not deemed at high risk of a coronavirus outbreak. But a cluster of COVID-19 cases among vaccinated people in nearby Provincetown last month prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reintroduce its advice for wearing masks indoors.
