D.C. National Mall To Be Closed On Inauguration Day

For generations, the National Mall has been the largest gathering place for people to watch, and celebrate the inauguration of the next president.

Because of growing security concerns, officials have decided that the National Mall will be closed to the public on the days surrounding Joe Biden‘s inauguration day. The planning committee has commented that there will be no viewing screens, public seating or restrooms on the Mall.

Since last Wednesday’s riots, more than 20,000 Army National Guard members have been deployed to D.C. and have been ordered to maintain crowd control and traffic duties during Wednesday’s inauguration. 

The traditional site for taking the presidential oath, the West Front, was stormed by rioters last week. While officials considered moving the oath ceremony inside, President-elect Biden said that he is “not afraid of taking the oath outside,” and intends to be sworn into the presidency in the same spot he has accepted the vice presidency in the past.

When Biden was a senator for the state of Delaware, he rode the Amtrak train from his home state into D.C. every work day and planned to do so again for the upcoming inauguration, but officials close to the President-elect now say that the train raised too many security concerns, so he will be arriving in an undisclosed manner.