Obama Plans Martha's Vineyard Birthday Bash Amid COVID Concerns

MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MA — Despite a drastically increasing number of COVID-19 cases, former President Barack Obama is still planning a 60th birthday party for himself and 700 others on Martha's Vineyard.

Even as health officials warn of the dangers of large gatherings during the ongoing pandemic, Obama invited 500 guests to join him and 200 staff members at his $12 million mansion on the island, as first reported by The Hill.

The blowout bash has been criticized for gathering a large number of people during the pandemic, despite the fact that Axios reported the outdoor party will require vaccinations.

Patch reached out to a spokesperson from the Obama administration who did not say if masks will be required to attend or not.

While the full guest list is unclear, multiple outlets are reporting that Stephen Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, and George Clooney made the list and Pearl Jam is expected to play.

President Joe Biden, however, will not be attending. “While President Biden is unable to attend this weekend, he looks forward to catching up with former President Obama soon and properly welcoming him into the over 60 club,” the White House official told The Hill.

The party will happen just days after Martha’s Vineyard Board of Health issued an indoor mask advisory even for vaccinated people due to the increasing number of cases from the delta variant.

The Fourth of July holiday sparked a massive cluster of breakthrough cases in nearby Provincetown, linking it to 932 cases, and prompting new masking guidelines from the CDC.

But Provincetown officials say the coronavirus situation is improving, with both active cases and positivity rates seeing steady declines.

Martha's Vineyard currently does not qualify as an area of "substantially high" risk, which was the target of the CDC recommendations.

Tom, a manager from Atlantic Restaurant in Edgartown told Patch he and his employees are being extra cautious around the situation and will go back to wearing masks at work on Wednesday.

Obama has a history of celebrating his birthday with big parties. When he turned 50 in 2011, Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, Tom Hanks, and Chris Rock attended a party in the White House.

The former President will turn 60 on August 4.