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US President-elect Joe Biden says keeping people safe is his first consideration for his inauguration on January 20, making it “highly unlikely” that a million people will fill the National Mall for his oath. during the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden was asked about the opening planning during a press conference Friday in Wilmington, Delaware.
Carolyn Kaster / AP
President-elect Joe Biden says any ceremony could end up looking like the virtual convention the Democrats held.
He suggested the holidays could end up looking like the largely virtual convention Democrats held in August, with online activity in the states.
Biden says his team is speaking with congressional leaders about their plans for the inauguration.
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The swearing-in ceremony and luncheon for the new president and vice president are held at the Capitol.
Biden said he wants people to be able to celebrate safely.
“There probably won’t be a gigantic opening parade.” He said details are still being worked out.
Biden also said the Trump administration has lowered trust in science so much that it will take some time and effort to rebuild it across the board, including convincing people that coronavirus vaccines are safe.
He said Friday that he is bothered by what he said were “wild claims” by President Donald Trump that the virus will go away on its own.
He noted how Trump once suggested that perhaps scientists could come up with a way that injecting bleach would kill the coronavirus.
AP Photo / Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump’s “wild claims” about the disappearance of the virus alone will prove problematic down the road, according to Joe Biden.
Biden said a president’s words are important and he hopes to convince especially the most affected Black and Latino communities that vaccines are safe.
He also said the Trump administration’s plan to distribute an approved coronavirus vaccine to the public lacks important details.
Biden said Friday that “there is no detailed plan that we have seen” for how to get vaccines out of a container, into syringes and into people’s arms.
Biden also wants a more equitable distribution that is needed to bring the vaccine to underserved communities, not just pharmacies and large retailers. Biden noted that blacks and Latinos are more likely to die from Covid-19 than whites.
Biden says the “equity side” is also an important part of the process.
He says he’s working on a “blueprint” and adds that’s why he asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, a government infectious disease expert, to be part of Biden’s Covid-19 team and to act as his top medical adviser.
