President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration will include a virtual parade as part of a series of events on Jan. 20 that have been scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic, the inaugural committee said Sunday.
After being sworn in on the west side of the Capitol, Mr. Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and their husbands will participate in Pass in Review, a military tradition that reflects the peaceful transfer of power and spans every branch of the military. , the committee said. Mr. Biden is expected to assess the readiness of the troops and then be escorted by soldiers from 15th Street to the White House.
With the coronavirus still raging across the country, the inauguration committee is holding a virtual parade in place of the traditional personal parade and balls. Scheduled programming is expected to feature Americans across the country, along with musical acts, local bands and poets to pay tribute to frontline workers during the pandemic.
“There are many great traditions at the inauguration and we intend to honor them by highlighting more of the people of our country than ever before while keeping everyone safe,” Tony Allen, CEO of the inaugural committee, said in a statement. statement.
The commission said earlier this week that a memorial service would take place on Jan. 19, prior to the inauguration, in memory of those killed by Covid-19. The memorial ceremony in Washington, DC, will feature lighting around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The inaugural committee has also told people not to attend the inaugural activities and has a lead medical adviser, Dr. David Kessler, hired to help plan the event based on health protocols.
Mr. Biden’s inaugural committee will accept donations of up to $ 500,000 from individuals and up to $ 1 million from companies to fund the event, but it has said it would ban donations from lobbyists and the oil and gas industry.
Donors were notified of their planned benefits in connection with the inauguration earlier this month.
For example, if a person gave $ 500,000 or pooled $ 1 million for the inauguration, the person would be invited to virtual events with Mr. Biden and Mrs. Harris and their husbands, according to a document reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The person would also receive “preferred viewing” for the virtual inauguration, recorded in a virtual concert during the opening week, invited to virtual briefings with Biden’s leadership, and receive VIP tickets to a future in-person event.
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Appeared in the January 4, 2021 print edition as ‘Inaugural To Feature A Virtual Parade’.