Delta variant would spread as easily as chickenpox 0:50
(CNN) -
Former President of the United States, Barack Obama, will celebrate his 60th birthday this weekend with a party on Martha's Vineyard, with many security protocols for the covid-19, a source familiar with the planning told CNN.
The event comes amid heightened concern about the delta variant.
Friday's event, which will be held outdoors, will follow all public health protocols of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the source said. .
There will be tests for the guests and a covid-19 safety coordinator on site.
Martha's Vineyard, in Dukes County, is currently designated by the CDC as a "moderate" community spread area for covid-19.
Are vaccines enough to protect against variants?
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The CDC has only recommended the use of masks indoors for areas of "high" and "substantial" transmission, which includes nearly two-thirds of all US counties.
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Obama's birthday is Wednesday, August 4.
The Hill was the first to report on the former president's big birthday party.
The former president and his family vacationed on Martha's Vineyard for almost every year of the Obama presidency.
In 2019, the former first family reportedly bought an 11.7-hectare property on the island, which was listed for almost US $ 12 million.
Protocols, masks and donations
Massachusetts has a high vaccination rate.
But the July 4 holiday, Provincetown, Massachusetts, also on the Cape, was the site of a large outbreak of COVID-19 cases among vaccinated people.
This is what prompted the CDC to change its mask recommendations.
The story of how a small town outbreak helped change the CDC's mask guide
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday that it is "better to mask" in a large group where people's vaccination status is unknown.
"Perhaps there are some immunosuppressed people there, who although they are vaccinated, they are not fully protected. The dynamics change. There will be a need for common sense there," he said.
In lieu of gifts for the former president, guests are asked to consider donating to programs that work to support black children and youth and their families in America, empower adolescent girls around the world, and equip the next generation. from community leaders, such as My Brother's Keeper Alliance, Girls Opportunity Alliance or the Obama Foundation's global leadership programs, the source added.
Contributed to this report Veronica Stracqualursi
Barack Obama