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Here's What We Know About The Plans For Inauguration Joe Biden's team is encouraging guests to stay home for this year's inauguration.
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Here's What We Know About The Plans For Inauguration

In this Nov. 7 photo, from left, Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Harris, President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, stand on stage together, in Wilmington, Del. Andrew Harnik/AP Photo hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/AP Photo

On January 20, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take their oaths of office on a stage that was ransacked by a pro-Trump mob. Biden will officially become the 46th president with law enforcement on the highest alert possible, amid a pandemic that has torpedoed most traditional events.

"I know a lot of people in D.C. are interested in knowing where they can go to attend," says Matt Hill, senior spokesperson for Biden's Presidential Inaugural Committee. "But we have to do our best to communicate that we want them really to stay home."

With a mix of in-person and virtual events planned, here's what we know about the 59th presidential inauguration so far.

Who can attend this year?

In a typical year, Congress would receive more than 200,000 tickets to distribute among its constituents, and non-ticketed folks would be encouraged to watch the events from the National Mall. But with this year's restrictions in place, the inauguration will be reserved to members of Congress and a single guest each. Commemorative ticket bundles and program packets will be given to congressmembers to distribute instead. The expected audience of just over 1,000 guests will be similar to those seen at State of the Union addresses, according to organizers.

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It's unclear exactly how many people are expected to arrive in the nation's capital, despite warnings to stay home, but the number will be nowhere near previous crowd sizes. (Barack Obama's inaugural events drew more than 1 million attendees; Donald Trump's 2017 inauguration drew upwards of 300,000 people.)

What are the scheduled events?

First things first, "Amtrak Joe" is planning to arrive in D.C. ahead of Inauguration Day by a train from Wilmington, Delaware, CNN reports.

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies is hosting a memorial to remember and honor Americans lost to COVID-19 on Jan. 19, at 5:30 p.m. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool will be lit, and Biden's team is encouraging cities and towns across the U.S. to illuminate their buildings and ring church bells during the memorial.

On January 20, the swearing-in ceremony will go on at the steps in front of the west side of the Capitol building, despite the insurrection. While getting his second dose of the vaccine, Biden told reporters that he is "not afraid" to take the oath of office outside.

The theme for the swearing-in is "Our Determined Democracy: Forging a More Perfect Union," and the event will be televised and livestreamed on the committee's website, YouTube, and Twitch.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, Biden and Harris, along with First Lady Jill Biden and First Gentleman Doug Emhoff, will do a socially-distant Pass in Review on the east front of the Capitol. The historic tradition involves a procession of every branch of the military to represent a peaceful transfer of power to the new commander-in-chief. Biden and Harris will then head to a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Barack and Michelle Obama, George W. and Laura Bush, and Bill and Hillary Clinton will attend the event, one of Biden's first acts as commander-in-chief.

Forgoing the traditional inaugural parade, the military will provide a presidential escort along 15th Street to the White House. Organizers said in a statement that the event will provide "the American people and world with historic images of the President-elect proceeding to the White House without attracting large crowds and gatherings." A "Virtual Parade Across America" will be televised to highlight voices from people across the country, similar to the Democratic National Convention programming. Performances and guest speakers are yet to be announced.

Biden's team is also installing a field of more than 191,000 U.S. flags and 56 pillars of light across the National Mall from 3rd to 13th Street NW. The field of flags symbolizes the people who can't travel to the ceremonies and the PIC's "commitment to an inclusive and safe event."

A specific timeline for the events hasn't been released yet, but organizers say more details are coming this week.

Will there be any inaugural balls?

With the Walter E. Washington Convention Center currently set up as an emergency field hospital, there won't be any inaugural balls there, as has been the case in years past.

South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, co-chair of Biden's inaugural committee, said that a majority of the celebrations won't happen in-person until at least the summer. The newly-elected president attends anywhere from two to 10 balls in a normal year, but no official celebrations have been publicly announced.

"[We'll] have this president at that time, President Joe Biden, celebrate his ascendance into the presidency during the July 4th celebration down at the Mall," he told CNN. "Hopefully things will be under control then, vaccines will be widespread, people will have gotten beyond this pandemic and we can go back to some modicum of normalcy and have a big celebration of Joe Biden's presidency."

Will Trump be there?

No. President Donald Trump tweeted, just days after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol fueled by his rhetoric, that he will not attend. It's a first — no sitting president has skipped the main event in more than a century and a half. Vice President Mike Pence has said that he plans to attend.

Preparations take place for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, on Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building. Patrick Semansky/AP Photo hide caption

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Patrick Semansky/AP Photo

What permits have been filed for demonstrations?

In a rare, if not unprecedented move, Mayor Bowser has asked the secretary of the Department of the Interior to deny or cancel all permit applications for demonstrations through Jan. 24. That request has not yet been granted.

The National Park Service says it's processing a number of protest permits for Inauguration Day. So far, a "Let America Hear Us, Roar For Trump" group asked for a permit for 300 people to demonstrate at Lafayette Park, Freedom Plaza, and other sites near the White House from Jan. 18 to 20.

A group called "DC Action Lab," which is affiliated in donation records with the Women's March, MoveOn.org, and the Democratic National Committee, requested a permit for 5,000 participants for a "Free speech demonstration against the inauguration" to be held at sites around the city.

The Answer Coalition applied for a permit with an unlisted number of people to demand "urgent action to save the environment, end war & militarism."

Mike Litterst, spokesperson for the National Parks Service, said the pro-Trump Eighty Percent Coalition has withdrawn an application for a pre-inauguration demonstration slated for Jan. 16.

D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department has not approved any permits, according to MPD spokesperson Kristen Metzger.

How likely is it that there will be more violence, riots, and unsanctioned protests?

Immediately following the Capitol insurrection, extremist groups increased calls on social media for an armed march on Capitol Hill on Sunday before the inauguration.

Pro-Trump groups are circulating flyers for anti-government rallies in D.C. ahead of and on Inauguration Day. The FBI has reportedly warned that armed groups will protest at capitols in all 50 states — one FBI bulletin specifically mentioned that an armed group is planning to storm state and federal government buildings in a "huge uprising" if Congress attempts to remove Trump from office.

After D.C. neighborhoods saw Trump supporters staying as Airbnb guests during the Capitol insurrection, local activists groups and residents are pressuring local hosts to remove their listings the week of the inauguration. (For its part, Airbnb has said it will try to restrict rioters from returning to D.C. during the inauguration.)

What is Mayor Muriel Bowser saying ahead of inauguration?

Bowser and other local leaders are pleading with the public not to attend and urging federal authorities to reboot their approach to security.

She wrote in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security that "we are extremely concerned" about the upcoming inauguration, which she says "will require a very different approach than previous inaugurations."

The mayor asked the department to extend the National Special Security Event period overseen by the Secret Service to cover a two-week stretch rather than the current period from Jan. 19-21. This, Bowser says, will allow for better planning. She says she's asking for a pre-disaster declaration to help speed up federal assistance.

Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf is granting Bowser's request, at least in part — the National Special Security Event will begin Jan. 13, six days ahead of schedule.

How is law enforcement preparing for Inauguration Day?

Since Jan. 6, workers have erected 7-foot-tall fencing around the U.S. Capitol, where it will remain for 30 days at least. The National Guard said it plans to increase troops in D.C. to at least 10,000 by January 16, with the possibility that another 5,000 troops from other states could be mobilized.

D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department says "all MPD members will be fully activated now through the Inauguration." A spokesperson for the U.S. Capitol Police did not respond to a DCist/WAMU request for detail on preparations.

There will be no tours of the Washington Monument through Jan. 24, according to the National Park Service. It announced the temporary closure Monday, saying, "groups involved in the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol continue to threaten to disrupt" inaugural events.

Biden recently told the press, "I have great confidence in the Secret Service. I have great confidence in their ability to make sure that the inauguration goes off, goes off safely, and goes off without a hitch."

What about transportation?

Bowser said locals should text INAUG2021 to 888-777 for transit and road closure updates ahead of Inauguration Day.

This story is from DCist.com, the local news website of WAMU.

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