Americans mark Independence Day with a bang

Americans marked their nation’s 245th birthday yesterday with fireworks that may look brighter, hotdogs that may taste juicier and marching bands that may sound jauntier after the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic forced the cancellation of nearly all celebrations last year.As always, fireworks displays are the highlight of the July Fourth holiday.Two of the biggest pyrotechnic shows in the country blasted off over the National Mall in Washington, and over a mile stretch of New York City’s East River, separating Manhattan from the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn.Some classic July Fourth events such as Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in Brooklyn’s Coney Island remained scaled back to allow for social distancing in recognition of the continued threat of the Covid-19, which has killed more than 600,000 Americans.The more aggressive Delta variant has raised alarms about the potential for another surge among the unvaccinated.Even so, this holiday was a time for Americans to show their patriotism and to celebrate a fresh sense of freedom in a personal sense by mingling with friends once again and enjoying summer’s simple pleasures.But this year’s July Fourth was not entirely carefree.The US Department of Homeland Security warned state and local police last week of a heightened threat of violence by domestic extremist groups amid relaxed Covid-19 restrictions and the July Fourth holiday.It was expected to be the busiest July Fourth road travel holiday on record – with an estimated 43.6mn Americans behind the wheel, or 5% more than a previous record set in 2019, the American Automobile Association said.Aleksandra Magidoff, a 12-year-old from Brooklyn, traveled to a New Jersey suburb to reconnect with a lifelong friend and her family.They were among the more than 3.5mn people who have moved out of New York, once the US epicentre of Covid-19, since the pandemic started in the spring of 2020.“I’m so excited – I can talk to them and celebrate with them and just socialise!” said Magidoff, who was fully vaccinated under the enormous blue whale model at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.The girls planned to gorge on “a bunch of hamburgers and hotdogs” before taking in the fireworks show at a New Jersey fairgrounds, she said.Last July Fourth she watched fireworks from her apartment building’s rooftop while under pandemic lockdown, allowed to celebrate with only her immediate family.In Washington, masks must be worn by any unvaccinated people who are among the 1,000 people – military personnel with their families and essential workers – attending President Joe Biden’s July Fourth celebration on the White House lawn with essential workers and military families, officials said.It would be the largest in-person event at the White House since he took office.With hospitalisations and deaths from Covid-19 down 90% since January and the country largely reopened, the message from the South Lawn will be unmistakable: what a difference a year makes.“We do have a lot to celebrate. We are much further along than I think anyone anticipated in this fight against the pandemic,” Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response co-ordinator, told ABC.Jubilation will be tempered by the White House falling just short of its much-promoted vaccination goal of getting seven in 10 adults their first shot by Independence Day.Opponents of the White House event have voiced concern that images of nationwide partying could send the wrong message, with only 46% of Americans fully inoculated, and areas with low vaccination take-up awash with the highly-contagious Delta variant.Public health officials have highlighted swaths of rural America where hospitals are starting to fill up again, especially in Utah, Missouri, Arkansas and Wyoming.Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert, told NBC that unvaccinated people now account 99.2% of Covid-19 deaths.Elsewhere in Washington, marching bands stepped off yesterday in a traditional parade on Capitol Hill’s Barracks Row.As darkness fell, the National Mall drew big crowds to a 17-minute fireworks display set off from both sides of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.On New York’s East River, 50 pyrotechnicians have spent days loading more than 65,000 shells on five barges to wow audiences watching the spectacular show either in person or on television.The display was presented by Macy’s department store.Lighting up the night’s sky not only delights crowds but also promises to restore a lifeline this year for the businesses that supply the 16,000 July Fourth fireworks displays that typically occur in cities and towns.Last year, only a “scant few” went on with the show, said Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association.“Approximately 70% are scheduled to return, and many will be bigger and better than pre-pandemic levels,” she said.However, for some Americans, July Fourth was sombre.In addition to the pall cast over the country by the pandemic and the Florida building collapse, the US West faces a heightened risk of wildfires after a scorching heatwave and extremely dry conditions.And nationwide supply chain glitches tied to the pandemic have jacked up prices of everything from household items to fireworks.The White House – at least outwardly – continues to brim with confidence.Six in 10 respondents in a new poll by the Washington Post and ABC News out yesterday give Biden positive ratings for his handling of the pandemic.California Senator Alex Padilla called Independence Day “a reminder of the American dream”.“The best way to celebrate Independence Day is by taking a moment to acknowledge all the hard work that it took to get here,” he said.