08/14/2021 3:36 PM
Clarín.com
International
United States
Updated 08/14/2021 3:36 PM
Barack Obama's 60th birthday continues to bring controversy. What in principle was going to be a celebration for almost 500 guests, was quickly deactivated by order of the former president of the United States, in tune with the explosion of coronavirus cases due to the Delta variant. Finally, the agape had about 300 guests, but a series of leaked photos showed all of them have chinstraps or social distance. To make matters worse, in the place, the island of
Martha's Vineyard,
Covid cases also exploded after the celebration.
Just a week later, the evolution of the virus on that exclusive island off the Massachusetts coast indicated that
74 people tested positive in the last week (before that date the number was 48)
, an increase in cases that exceeds that of any week since April, as reported by the English Daily Mail.
For now, health authorities have indicated that it is still too early to know if the hundreds of guests and workers who were present at that party without masks have
contributed to the increase in cases
on this island of Massachusetts.
"We are not aware of any case related to Obama's party (...). It is too early and the only way to know is through full contact tracing,"
Maura Valley, Massachusetts health spokeswoman,
told the British newspaper
.
Dancing, festivities, alcohol and luxuries at Barack Obama's 50th birthday party.
The Obamas organized a massive event in their mansion located on the island, despite the fact that their spokesperson assured this week that
the capacity
had been
"reduced" only to family
and close friends due to the recent rebound in Covid-19 in the country.
Many of the guests flew to the island by private jet and stayed in the town of
Edgartown, the epicenter of the new infections
.
The Daily Mail cites as an example the case of celebrities such as actor
Bradley Cooper
, invited to the party and who stayed at the Harbor View hotel, where six members of the staff have tested positive.
Guests such as the rapper
Trap Beckham
, the singer
Erykah Badu
and the manager
TJ Chapman
showed on their social networks snapshots of the menu, the atmosphere and the decoration, with badges and napkins engraved for the occasion with the
44x60
badge
(44 for the number of the former president and 60 for his age) in gold.
Although
the photos they shared were
later
removed
due to the event's privacy policy, that outlet published one in which Obama is seen with a microphone in his hand and enjoying himself on what looks like a dance floor, and others on the dance floor. that a large congregation of people is seen in the high profile celebration.
Actor
George Clooney
, director
Steven Spielberg
and presenter
Oprah Winfrey
were among the 475 people who had received invitations to the lavish celebration, in which
the rock band Pearl Jam was to play
and where all the guests had to undergo a test. of covid before attending, according to US media.
Although few details are known about the event, the online
newspaper The Hill
points out that there were performances by rapper Beckham and singers
Alicia Keys
and
John Legend
, and that among the dining options there were pork, chicken and shrimp with rice garnish. vegetables and potatoes.
Likewise, bottles of
alcoholic beverages, cocktails, desserts and cigars were seen
, with some of the guests smoking cannabis, the consumption of which is legal in that state.
"I had to erase everything because of the rules.
It was decidedly epic
. If they transcend videos they will go viral. He danced all the time.
No one has ever seen Obama like this before
," Beckham commented on his social networks.