Concerns over the Delta variant of Covid-19 clouded Biden's July 4th celebrations

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Mon, 2021-07-05 09:53 — mike kraft

Biden's Fourth of July celebrations clouded by a gnawing concern over the Delta variant of Covid-19 When President Joe Biden welcomed 1,000 essential workers and military personnel on the South Lawn this weekend to mark Independence Day, it fulfilled -- and even exceeded -- his prediction from March that July 4th gatherings this year would look more like they used to. Kevin Liptak and Kaitlan Collins, CNN CNN

(CNN) When President Joe Biden welcomed 1,000 essential workers and military personnel on the South Lawn this weekend to mark Independence Day, it fulfilled -- and even exceeded -- his prediction from March that July 4th gatherings this year would look more like they used to.

But underneath the jubilation was a gnawing concern that pockets of the United States remain in the grips of the pandemic, awash in cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant and populated with people who refuse to get vaccinated.

Even as a crowded South Lawn represented scenes of celebration across the country, concerns about the continuing spread of the virus remain strong inside the administration, which announced this week it would dispatch response teams across the US to communities where officials are worried about a potentially deadly combination: low vaccination rates and a significant presence of the highly transmissible form of the virus.

In private meetings, Biden has questioned advisers about the broader impact the highly contagious variant could have on the US, according to people present. He still receives a daily report on case rates, the number of deaths and the prevalence of variants. Officials have stressed that vaccinated people are safe, while those who are unvaccinated are the most at risk.

In a sign that the pandemic is far from over, officials also said the administration plans to extend the public health emergency declaration for the pandemic that former President Donald Trump announced in 2020 when it's due to expire this month.

And foreign travel to countries where the Delta variant is resurgent, including the United Kingdom, is still on hold as officials hope to avoid new cases coming in to the US, despite heightened pressure from foreign governments and the travel industry to open up. The rise of the Delta variant in the UK is the "primary reason" the US has not eased travel restrictions there, a senior health official told CNN.

An administration official said their goal is to reopen international travel when it can be done safely but did not provide updates on when that's expected to happen. There are working groups between the US and other nations that are constantly evaluating the situation.

The competing impulses to celebrate progress against the virus while maintaining vigilance against further spread have colored the White House's approach to the second pandemic-era Fourth of July holiday. ..

ALSO SEE: These areas in the US have officials concerned as Covid-19 cases increase

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