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Amid USA’s Covid crisis, Obama’s lavish birthday bash attracts criticism, NYT journo tries to justify it saying ‘a sophisticated, vaccinated crowd’

Notably, Obama did not break any rules as CDC guidelines and regulations of Martha's Vineyard make it mandatory for the people to wear masks indoors, on private and public transport etc., even if they are fully vaccinated. However, the regulations do not apply to open locations.

On August 8, former President of the United States, Barack Obama, celebrated his sixtieth birthday as his family threw a lavish birthday bash on the upscale island Martha’s Vineyard. Though the event was strictly offline and photography or videography was not allowed allegedly due to security reasons, some photos and videos managed to come out in public.

Barack Obama was seen enjoying on the dance floor in such a video along with other guests without a mask that sparked outrage on social media.

As soon as it was evident that the guests and the hosts were without the mask and possibly flouting the Covid-19 norms, hashtags like #ObamaVariant and “Maskless Obama” started to trend. The netizens were not pleased watching the former President, who has been supporting the Democrats over mask-on policies, without a mask.

Notably, Barack Obama did not break any rules as CDC guidelines and regulations of Martha’s Vineyard make it mandatory for the people to wear masks indoors, on private and public transport etc., even if they are fully vaccinated.

However, the regulations do not apply to open locations. As his birthday party was outdoors, technically, he did not break any rules. However, being a popular leader and supporter of policies on mandatory masks, people expected him to follow the regulations anyway.

According to conservative commentator Candace Owens, vaccination was not compulsory to attend the event and there were at least two attendees who did not mask themselves.

The ‘sophisticated, vaccinated crowd’ comment

Annie Karni, New York Times reporter, faced backlash on social media platforms as she made a comment on another network while discussing the criticism Barack Obama was receiving. She said, “It was a sophisticated, vaccinated crowd, and it was about the optics, not the safety.”

Her dismissal of mask-less Obama did not amuse people on social media networks.

Later, Karni tried to clarify that it was not her point of view as she was directly quoting one of the residents she had spoken to. She said, “Watch the full clip. The Q was, what do people on the island think of the party? The A was me summarizing views of ppl I spoke with: some are upset, + others think the concerns about it are overblown. ‘Sophisticated crowd’ was from a quote in the story.”

Many US citizens seem to be displeased over the fact that while political leaders preach strict social distancing and mask mandates, a former President from the Democratic Party was seen enjoying an expensive, lavish birthday bash with a large crowd.

Fauci’s double standards left netizens baffled

On Sunday, while talking to host Chuck Todd on the “Meet the Press” program, Dr Anthony Fauci showed concerns over an event happening in South Dakota. He said, “I’m very concerned, Chuck, that we’re going to see another surge related to that rally.”

He added, “There comes a time when you’re dealing with a public health crisis, that could involve you, your family, and everyone else that something supersedes that need to do exactly what you want to do.”

Interestingly, Fauci did not make any comments regarding the birthday bash Barack Obama had amidst pandemic that attracted a lot of criticism to his way. Internet users are quick to point that out too.

Covid-19 in the US

In the last 24 hours, the US has reported 91,648 cases. The country has so far reported 3,52,99,302 cases. 6,10,180 people have lost their lives in the US because of Covid-19 related complications.

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OpIndia Staff
OpIndia Staffhttps://www.opindia.com
Staff reporter at OpIndia

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