WASHINGTON President-elect Joe Biden’s inaugural committee has asked the public to stay home on Inauguration Day, according to a Twitter thread posted by the committee on Tuesday. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the committee has asked anyone wishing to partake in the inaugural traditions and celebrations to do so in the safety of their own homes. Despite this week's rollout of the new vaccine, its availability to the general public is still months away. So Biden's team is urging supporters not to come to Washington, D.C., to celebrate the inauguration. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris aim to take their oaths of office outside the U.S. Capitol building as inauguration planners seek to craft an event that captures the traditional grandeur of the historic ceremony while complying with COVID-19 protocols.
Biden’s inaugural committee has promised the ceremony will showcase “a reimagined parade, and virtual celebrations that bring the country together.”
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) also released attendance guidelines on Wednesday regarding the Jan. 20, 2021 ceremony, saying that it is working with Biden’s committee on “enhanced opportunities to watch the ceremonies online, in addition to the traditional televised national broadcast.” “The JCCIC, in consultation with diversified public health and medical experts and the Presidential Inaugural Committee, has determined that this global pandemic and the rise in COVID-19 cases warranted a difficult decision to limit attendance at the 59th Inaugural Ceremonies to a live audience that resembles a State of the Union,” JCCIC Chairman Roy Blunt said in a news release.
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