As US election near, White House starts preparations for presidential inauguration

However, the election is not the only thing that the White House is preparing for right now. The authorities have also started planning and preparing for theinauguration ceremony of the next to-be President of the United States. The local media reported the White House has started preparing for the January 20 ceremony.

Low-flying helicopters can, now, be often spotted flying around the area as a part of the heightened security precautions.

TheJoint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has started to decide and vote on decisions. The spokesperson for the committee told Associated Press that the construction work has already begun for the stage area. however, the construction is being done keeping in mind that they might have to scale down the event due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

As per the committee's decision, the ceremony will be taking place on theWest Front of the Capitol, and the architects will be rebuilding the stage from the scratch. Thisinaugural platform usually holds 1,600 people — which includes the President andVice President (elected and outgoing),members of Congress and theSupreme Court justices. An additional attendance of 1,000 can be adjusted in the bleachers above the platform.

The six-member committee will also be making a decision soon on whether or not the attendees will be asked to compulsorily wear a mask — a decisionTrumphas often opposed — or will they be asked to go through temperature checks and maintain social distance. The decision is not being finalised right away as the ceremony is three months away, and the decision is sensitive to the time frame.

“Traditionally, a second-term inauguration is not as big as the first, and if we have a new president taking office, numbers are typically larger,”Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC, the district’s marketing organization told Associated Press. “However, visitation to Washington, DC, during inauguration will depend on what people are able to do in the city based on Covid-19’s impact this winter, which remains to be seen.”

A spokesperson for the committee said, they are“committed to traditional, inclusive, and safe ceremonies and will continue to monitor the situation and provide information as it comes available.”

As the custom goes, the elected President and Vice President will be directed to aluncheon in National Statuary Hall where they will meet and greet their well-wishers and indulge in speeches, toasts to success and gifts. The luncheon will be followed bythe parade and Presidential inaugural ball.

More decisions will be soon made by the time the elections conclude on November 03 — after which the White House will be preparing be vote calculation and announcement.