COVID-conscious inauguration

No one is going to be bragging about the crowd size at this inauguration.

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris aim to take their oaths of office outside the U.S. Capitol building as inauguration planners create a hybrid of the traditional grandeur of the historic ceremony while complying with COVID-19 protocols.

Despite this week’s rollout of the new vaccine, its availability to the general public is still months away. So Biden’s team is urging supporters not to come to Washington to celebrate the inauguration.

“The ceremony’s footprint will be extremely limited, and the parade that follows will be reimagined,” Biden’s inaugural committee said in a statement.

“The pandemic is continuing to have a significant public health impact across the nation,” said Dr. Kessler, chief medical adviser for the inauguration. “We are asking Americans to participate ... from home to protect themselves, their families, friends and communities.”

Biden said Friday that a “gigantic inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Ave.” was unlikely, although a big reviewing stand is being constructed in front of the White House.

After the swearing-in ceremony, Biden will deliver an inaugural address that “lays out his vision to beat the virus, build back better and bring the country together,” the inaugural committee said.

A face-to-face between Trump and Biden is up in the air due to Trump’s ongoing maneuvering rather than any virus concerns. The outgoing president still refuses to concede the election. When asked in a Sunday Fox News interview whether he would participate or attend the inauguration, Trump said, “I don’t want to talk about that.”