The holiday scene at the White House has been a little less merry under under COVID-19's shadow.
Christmas
Major social events scrubbed from the calendar included the White House ball for the nation's governors and the Easter Egg Roll, the second straight year that springtime ritual has been canceled. “Anyone who knows the Bidens knows how much they enjoy hosting and celebrating the holidays,” Michael LaRosa, the first lady’s spokesperson, said in announcing a limited number of open houses for invited guests to ooh and aah over the Christmas trees and other decorations.
“The White House is never as beautiful as it is at Christmas. It's just gorgeous,” said Jeremy Bernard, who oversaw holiday decorating and event planning as President Barack Obama's social secretary. “It's a shame that more people can't go through, but it's the reality of being in a pandemic.” Guests had to attest to their vaccination status before showing up, wear a face mask at all times on the White House grounds and practice social distancing. Anyone not vaccinated had to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of the event.Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., suggested on Twitter that the White House was guilty of hypocrisy with the open houses and shouldn't have held them at all.
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