Biden, Harris inauguration: How will this year's ceremony be different? - Latest Updates

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Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Biden, Harris inauguration: How will this year's ceremony be different?

The inauguration is the formal ceremony that marks the start of a new presidency. Joe Biden is set to replace Donald Trump when he is inaugurated on Wednesday 20 January. The ceremony will be a bit different to previous occasions though, with lots of those involved wearing masks and following social distancing rules, as well as there being no members of the public present and increased security.

Usually, the inauguration ceremony takes place in front of hundreds of thousands of people who gather to watch the president-elect get sworn in to office at the US Capitol in Washington D.C. However, the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns following the recent riots at the Capitol building, mean crowds can't gather.

Instead of people, almost 200,000 American flags have been put into the grassy area of the National Mall. That is a lot of flags! There are so many of them, because they represent members of the public who can't be there in person. Without the usual crowds, this inauguration will be the quietest in ceremonial history.

A worker plants several USA flags in the ground before the Washington Monument.
The art installation is called the 'Field of Flags' and includes flags from every US state and territory. Fifty six pillars of light will also beam up to represent the states and territories.

Typically, a new president would want the area to be as full as possible with their supporters, but this year the Biden administration has asked people to stay home and not travel to the Capitol due to Covid-19 restrictions. People are being asked to watch the event on TV instead.

Another key difference this year is that the outgoing president, Donald Trump, won't be there. "To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th," Mr Trump tweeted on 8 January. Only three other presidents - John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson - have actively chosen to not be there to see their successor sworn in.

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