US President-elect Joe Biden is planning a scaled-back inauguration for safety’s sake during the pandemic.
The Democratic former vice president said he does expect to be sworn in on 20 January on the platform already being constructed on the steps of the USÂ Capitol.
He wants to avoid the crowds that typically gather on the National Mall and along Pennsylvania Avenue to view the ceremony and parade.
“My guess is there probably will not be a gigantic inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. But my guess is you’ll see a lot of virtual activity in states all across America, engaging even more people than before,” Mr Biden said from his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
Donald Trump’s administration memorably began in January 2017 with then-spokesman Sean Spicer berating the media for publishing photos that showed far smaller crowds than had gathered for President Barack Obama’s historic swearing-in as the nation’s first Black president eight years earlier.
Mr Trump, who has refused to concede the election, has not said if he will attend the ceremony. He has filed a lawsuit in Georgia state court seeking to invalidate the presidential election results there.
According to a source familiar with the internal White House discussion, Mr Trump is considering launching his bid to run again for the presidency in 2024 on that day.
The inauguration ceremony typically begins with the outgoing president and the president-elect riding together from the White House to the Capitol.
After the new president is sworn in, he rides back along Pennsylvania Avenue to assume his new duties while the former president departs, typically by helicopter.
Mr Biden said his staff is planning a swearing-in that would not raise the risks of accelerating the spread of Covid-19, which has surged to a fresh record high in the United States, killing over 273,000 people.
“People want to celebrate,” said Mr Biden. “People want to be able to say we’ve passed the baton. We’re moving on. Democracy has functioned.”
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In a TV interview with CNN earlier in the week, the US President-elect said he would ask Americans to wear masks for 100 days to help reduce transmission of the virus.
Mr Biden also revealed he had asked the US government’s top infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci to remain in his post and join his Covid-19 team after he takes office.
