January 20th, 2021 marks inauguration day, in which Joe Biden will officially become the 46th President of the United States. Typically, inauguration ceremonies and their associated celebrations have been hosted as public gatherings, galas, and ballroom events filled with many people coming together to welcome the new President and Vice President into office. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, these events have had to be modified. While President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be inaugurated on the West Front of the Capitol, only a limited number of people are allowed to attend in-person, with everyone else having to watch it using technology.
Anyone who is traveling to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration has to follow strict protocol, which consists of providing a negative coronavirus test (perhaps more than one depending on the situation), quarantining for 14 days if you are a visitor arriving from a more “high-risk” state, wearing a mask at all times, and social distancing. President-elect Biden’s team has spoken about an organized parade route that will occur on Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House to reduce crowds; more in-person celebratory activities are tentatively expected to be held in the summer when it will hopefully be a safer situation.
Currently, President Trump is confirmed to not be attending the inauguration, becoming the first president to not come to his successor’s inaugural ceremony since Andrew Johnson, when he did not attend Ulysses S. Grant’s ceremony in 1869. Regarding Vice President Mike Pence, it is reported that he will most likely attend, with the purpose of supporting a peaceful transition of power. I think that any sign of support for a peaceful transition of power is vital nowadays, with so much division within the nation. Due to the tragic recent events that occured last week as well as continued death threats from radical Trump supporters, there will be high-alert security to protect President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, and other governmental officials: more so than ever before.
Specifically, the Secret Service is taking command in conjunction with the National Guard to defend the U.S. Capitol and other federal buildings. This process includes at least “15,000 National Guard troops, thousands of police and tactical officers, and layers of eight-foot steel fencing” (https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/biden-inauguration-security-dc/2021/01/12/b1a9781a-54e9-11eb-89bc-7f51ceb6bd57_story.html). Also, beginning on Wednesday, the Secret Service’s Washington field office will act as the center for all plans of security, with representatives from 50 to 60 different agencies working in 12 hour shifts. Radiation protection, bomb detectors, amtrak sweeps, and even the whole FBI SWAT team are positioned and ready.
In my opinion, all of these strict security measures are critical for the safety of Biden, Harris, governmental representatives, and the public. The various threats and planned attacks that are circulating are rather frightening and should be taken very seriously. I believe the horrific attack in the U.S. Capitol should have been a wake up call so that attacks like those (and worse) do not happen again. Let me know if you plan on tuning into the inauguration ceremony, what you think of all the new measures being taken, or what your thoughts are on anything in my post!
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/12/04/2021-inauguration-biden-harris/
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/07/pence-expected-to-attend-bidens-inaugural-456005
Hey Dori!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that the threats going around are very frightening. It is extremely sad that people are so worried about the safety of the President and Vice President elect at their inauguration ceremony. I think that the secret service, FBI, and security all around DC will take everything seriously to ensure that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are safe and that events like last week's do not happen again.