President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s inaugural committee is planning to host a ceremony the evening before he is sworn into office to memorialize the people who have died because of COVID-19, as Mr. Biden prepares for what will be an unorthodox inauguration during the coronavirus pandemic.
The D.C. ceremony will feature a lighting around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 19, the inaugural committee said Thursday.
Cities and towns are invited to join in by “illuminating buildings and ringing church bells” in a show of solidarity, the committee said.
“In the midst of a pandemic — when so many Americans are grieving the loss of family, friends and neighbors — it is important that we honor those who have died, reflect on what has been one of the more challenging periods in the nation’s history, and renew our commitment to coming together to end the pandemic and rebuild our nation,” inauguration committee spokeswoman Pili Tobar said in a statement.
More than 340,000 people in the U.S. have died from the virus.
Mr. Biden has repeatedly warned that even with the quick development of at least two vaccines, the U.S. hasn’t seen the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.
He is planning to be sworn in at the U.S. Capitol, but his team is discouraging people from traveling to the nation’s capital to attend the ceremony.
“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 recently.
The congressional committee that oversees the inauguration said the live audience for the ceremony will resemble a State of the Union address.
The committee typically doles out some 200,000 tickets for the official ceremonies, but lawmakers are allowed tickets for only themselves and one guest for the Jan. 20 ceremony.
Sen. Roy Blunt, the Missouri Republican who is chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, said they’re working on additional opportunities for people to watch the ceremony online in additional to the traditional TV 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,” Mr. Blunt said.
The traditional post-inaugural luncheon in the U.S. Capitol also has been canceled because of the public health crisis.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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