The official said that there will be no big screens, restrooms, panels where people stay and that the public will not be able to go to the mall where thousands traditionally gather to watch the new president take office.
President-elect Joe Biden’s aides, who are helping to plan the grand opening, say it is intended to be a virtual event. They did not object to the tightened security restrictions recommended by officials in the Mall or the area surrounding the White House.
Discussions are ongoing between the District of Columbia, the National Parks Service and the United States Department of the Interior about when the shutdown will take place. There will be no access on January 20, but just before that it is still under discussion.
The National Parks Service said in a statement that an announcement will be made by the United States Department or Secret Service when a final decision is made.
Authorities are gearing up for more extremist violence in the coming days after supporters of President Donald Trump invaded and violated the U.S. Capitol last week in a deadly riot that left five people dead.
A senior official at Biden’s inaugural committee said in a statement that the committee was “confident in our security partners who spent months planning and preparing for the opening, including events at the National Mall.”
“We continue to work with them to ensure maximum protection and security for the elected president, the elected vice president, the participants and the public during this historic event,” said the official.
More than 20,000 National Guard soldiers may be in Washington to help secure Biden’s tenure, Washington police chief Robert Contee said on Wednesday, and sources told CNN that officials are considering raising the level of terrorist threat.
President-elect and vice-president-elect Kamala Harris are yet to take their oaths of office on the West Front of the United States Capitol during a significantly reduced event. Biden said this week that he “is not afraid to take the oath out there” and that his team has received instructions after the violence.
On Wednesday, Biden received an instruction from senior FBI officials, the Secret Service and key members of his national security team on the potential for further extremist violence in the coming days, according to the president-elect’s transition team.
Biden planned to take Amtrak to Washington next week to be sworn in as president, but those plans were canceled amid drastically high security around the inauguration, two officials familiar with the plan told CNN.
The U.S. Secret Service officially took charge of security for Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, working in coordination with federal law enforcement agencies and the Pentagon.
Trump, who incited the riot at the United States Capitol and continued to spread lies about the election, said he would not attend the inauguration. Vice President Mike Pence will be present at the opening, according to a source familiar with the plans
This story has been updated with additional information about the inauguration.
CNN’s Sarah Mucha, Gregory Wallace, Josh Campbell and Whitney Wild contributed to this report.