A worker installs razor wire on top of fencing surrounding the US Capitol in Washington. Photo: 2021 Getty Images
Presidential inaugurations are always tightly secure events with operations led by the US Secret Service, but this year's measures have been ramped up after Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on 6 January in a bid to prevent the final certification of Biden's victory.
Law enforcement officials have warned of threats and armed groups in all 50 states.
More than 31,000 security personnel from the National Guard and law enforcement agencies will protect Washington. Much of the city's core has been restricted or locked down ahead of the event, normally a day of public festivities and private balls. Most of these were already canceled by the Covid-19 pandemic.
While there will be a scaled back parade, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser has urged the city's 684,000 residents to stay home, AirBnb has cancelled local reservations and local businesses and monuments are shutting.
The National Park Service said on Friday it was immediately closing the National Mall and other landmarks in Washington to visitors through until at least 21 January.
The Mall includes landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. The area around the White House has also been closed, as has a key bridge over the Potomac River that connects Virginia to Washington, as well as East and West Potomac Parks, including Hains Point, which are near the Mall.
"We cannot allow a recurrence of the chaos and illegal activity that the United States and the world witnessed last week," Matthew Miller, the head of the Secret Service's Washington field office, told reporters.
A member of the National Guard on patrol near the US Capitol. Photo: AFP
Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, told CNN that Biden's team had decided to delay the inauguration rehearsal by one day due to "some of the online chatter talks about Sunday the 17th".
Still, Biden's chief of staff Ron Klain said in an interview with the Washington Post he was confident that law enforcement officials would be able to secure the inauguration.
More National Guard troops
US officials said they expect the number of National Guard troops to rise to 25,000 in Washington DC, a number that could increase even further.
In downtown DC, Metropolitan AME Church, a historic Black church that has hosted historical Black luminaries like educator Booker T Washington and journalist Ida B Wells, said it has security plans in place but declined to provide details.
"We recognise that some people may be emboldened to focus on communities which have always prioritised justice, so we are cautious of that," a church official said.
Even before the 6 January siege, the inauguration was expected to be significantly different from the previous swearing-in of presidents due to coronavirus concerns. Many of the events that accompany the ceremony will be virtual.
"This is not a concession to the terrorists. It is a recognition of the danger of Covid," US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters.
Members of the National Guard pose for photographers before being deployed in Washington. Photo: 2021 Getty Images
Mayor Bowser suggested to reporters that, due to the storming of the Capitol by groups of "white extremists," heightened security measures in the district could remain in effect until well after Inauguration Day.
"We are going to go back to a new normal," Bowser said. "We certainly have to think about a new posture in the city. So while we are focused on January the 20th, we are also focused on January the 21st and every day thereafter in the nation's capital."
- Reuters
