Biden's inaugural committee is urging Americans to stay home instead of traveling to Washington, DC, for the festivities

• President-elect Joe Biden's inaugural committee is formally urging Americans not to travel to Washington, DC, for his January 20 inauguration ceremony and the following celebrations, The Washington Post reported.
• "We are asking Americans to participate in inaugural events from home to protect themselves, their families, friends, and communities," Dr. David Kessler, the transition team's chief medical advisor, said Tuesday.
• The traditional inauguration festivities, including crowds gathering on the National Mall, parades, balls and parties, and congressional luncheons, will be virtual or significantly scaled back, The Post reported.
• Transition officials told the news outlet that they were seeking to replicate the almost entirely remote Democratic National Convention, which featured appearances and performances from Americans around the country.

President-elect Joe Biden's inaugural committee is urging Americans to stay home and avoid traveling to the January 20 inauguration, which will be significantly scaled back because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Biden's inauguration team had brought Dr. David Kessler, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, on board as its chief medical advisor.

Kessler is formally recommending that people not travel to Washington, DC, because the already surging coronavirus pandemic is expected to get even worse during the winter months as more Americans are driven indoors by the cold weather.

Biden will still be sworn in and address the nation from the west side of the US Capitol Building in the presence of prominent politicians and elected officials, as is customary, but attendance will be restricted, The Post reported.

Inaugurations usually feature massive crowds gathering on the National Mall, as well as balls and parties. But because of COVID-19, the inaugural committee plans to organize mostly virtual celebrations and is urging Americans to join in from their living rooms.

"Americans everywhere must do their part to slow the spread of the virus: wear masks, stay home, and limit gatherings," Kessler said in a statement Tuesday. "We are asking Americans to participate in inaugural events from home to protect themselves, their families, friends, and communities."

The Post reported the inauguration was likely to follow the model of the Democratic National Convention, which was initially supposed to be held in Milwaukee but went on almost entirely remotely.

Each night of the convention was hosted by a different celebrity and included speeches, musical performances, and appearances by political figures, while people from around the country tuned in virtually.

Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris delivered their acceptance speeches from a nearly empty hotel ballroom in Wilmington, Delaware, with only a few reporters - masked and socially distanced - in attendance.

The Post reported that the committee was hoping to emulate the virtual delegate roll call that was held at the DNC, with a virtual inaugural parade featuring a diverse group of Americans.

The committee has still not ironed out whether Biden will hold other inaugural traditions in person, like meeting with the outgoing president at the White House before the inauguration and hosting a lunch for members of Congress afterward.

"There are traditions that we really want to hold on to," Maju Varghese, the inauguration's executive director, told The Post. "We're trying to do that with the swearing in, and there are aspects of the parade that goes back to Washington.

"Is there a way to safely do anything in person? That is something we're going to explore. We're going to see what we can preserve versus what we need to reimagine."