President-elect Joe Biden
Photographer: Demetrius Freeman / The Washington Post / Getty Images
Photographer: Demetrius Freeman / The Washington Post / Getty Images
President-elect Joe Biden will receive a reduced military escort to the White House, instead of the traditional inauguration parade that extends from the U.S. Capitol after his inauguration on January 20, his inaugural committee said on Sunday.
The inaugural festivities will also include a formal troop review and an “Across America Virtual Parade” made for television with musical performances, martial bands, poetry, dance groups and essential workers.
The reduced inaugural plans represent another concession to the coronavirus pandemic, as Biden’s inaugural planners balance health and safety concerns with the splendor of the constitutional ceremony.
“There are many great traditions for the inauguration, and we plan to honor them by making the people of our nation stand out more than ever, keeping everyone safe,” said Presidential Inaugural Committee CEO Tony Allen in a statement.
Inaugural planners asked Biden’s supporters not to travel to Washington for the ceremony. Entrance tickets are available only to members of Congress and their guests, and workers are removing temporary bleachers for dignitaries to see the traditional parade that stretches along Pennsylvania Avenue, from the Capitol to the White House.
Instead, the new commander-in-chief will conduct a “review pass” that is socially distant from troops from all branches of the armed forces on the eastern front of the Capitol. Ceremonial units will accompany Biden from 15th Street NW to the White House, which crosses 16th Street.
The virtual parade will be produced by the same team that set up the fully virtual Democratic National Convention in August, which used short videos from around the country in place of the traditional Call for States to nominate Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate.
The announcement of the celebration that will take place in three weeks was released as the Republicans were preparing to launch a quixotic but controversial effort to challenge the election results when Congress meets on Wednesday to certify Biden as the winner of the election.