President-elect Joe Biden‘s inauguration is getting scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic … with safety protocols aiming to prevent a superspreader scenario.
Biden’s own Presidential Inaugural Committee just announced some of the changes for January’s ceremony, which will have an “extremely limited” footprint. The PIC also says the parade following the swearing-in will be “reimagined.”
Some traditions are still soldiering on … the PIC says Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take their oaths outside the Capitol.
The stage construction is chugging along, but most folks won’t be there in person to soak in the historic ceremony when the stage is set … Biden’s PIC is urging the public not to travel to the National Mall for a huge gathering. Instead, folks are being encouraged to participate in inauguration activities from the comforts of their own homes.
So don’t anticipate a gathering like the one we saw 4 years ago for Donald Trump … and it definitely won’t look like the first Barack Obama inauguration.
The pandemic’s not only the focus of the inauguration’s “vigorous” health and safety protocols … Biden’s camp says the inaugural address will lay out his vision for beating the virus, building the country back and bringing Americans together.