Advertisement

Updated July 5th, 2021 at 13:54 IST

‘Back together': White House hosts Fourth of July celebration as nation emerges from COVID

US President Joe Biden hosted more than 1,000 service members, first responders and other guests for a July Fourth celebration on the South Lawn of White House.

Reported by: Bhavya Sukheja
White House
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
Advertisement

Americans marked their nation’s 245th birthday on July 4 with fireworks, hotdogs, marching bands and a sense of great relief, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of nearly all celebrations last year. The US President Joe Biden hosted more than 1,000 service members, first responders and other guests for a July Fourth celebration on the South Lawn of the White House. According to AP, the event was the largest yet of Biden’s presidency, in which he mixed the nation’s birthday party with a celebration of freedom from the worst of the pandemic.

“Today, all across this nation, we can say with confidence: America is coming back together,” Biden declared. He added, “This year the Fourth of July is a day of special celebration, for we’re emerging from the darkness of a year of pandemic and isolation, a year of pain fear and heartbreaking loss”. 

Biden said, “Today we’re closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus. That’s not to say the battle against COVID-19 is over. We’ve got a lot more work to do”. 

'Independence from virus'

In a bid to mark the nation’s “independence” from the virus, the White House had encouraged gatherings and fireworks displays all around the country. When asked about the potential risks of holding gatherings around July Fourth in areas where there are large pockets of unvaccinated individuals, White House press secretary Jen Psaki had countered that “if individuals are vaccinated in those areas, then they are protected”. Moreover, the cookout and fireworks viewing at the South Lawn were also “being done in the right way,” White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said in television interviews, and “consistent” with CDC guidelines. 

Meanwhile, Biden wanted all Americans to celebrate the day, after enduring 16 months of disruption in the pandemic and more than 605,000 deaths. And there was much to cheer as cases and deaths from COVID-19 were at or near record lows since the outbreak began, thanks to the robust US vaccination program. As per reports, businesses and restaurants were also open, hiring was picking up and travel was getting closer to pre-pandemic levels.

However, the vaccination goal Biden had set with great fanfare for July Fourth - 70 per cent of the adult population vaccinated - fell short at 67 per cent, according to figures from the CDC. More than 200 Americans still die each day from COVID-19, and tens of millions have chosen not to get the life-saving vaccines. Therefore, more concerning to officials was the gap between heavily vaccinated communities where the virus was dying out and lesser-vaccinated ones where a more infectious variant of the virus was already taking hold.

(Image: AP)

Advertisement

Published July 5th, 2021 at 13:54 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo