Biden to hold memorial service for Covid victims as part of inauguration

The Presidential Inaugural Committee has announced that it will host a national memorial to honour the victims of the coronavirus pandemic on the day before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office.

In a statement, the committee said that lives lost to Covid-19 will be memorialised across the country at 5.30pm ET on 19 January in a “national moment of unity and remembrance”.

In Washington, DC a ceremony will feature lighting around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.

The committee is inviting towns and cities around the country to join the capital in illuminating buildings and ringing church bells at that hour

“The inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris represents the beginning of a new national journey,” Pili Tobar, a spokesperson for the inaugural committee, said.

“However, in the midst of a pandemic — when so many Americans are grieving the loss of family, friends and neighbors — it is important that we honour those who have died, reflect on what has been one of the more challenging periods in the nation's history, and renew our commitment to coming together to end the pandemic and rebuild our nation.”

As of Thursday morning there have been 19,745,888 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US. A total of 342,414 deaths from the virus have been officially recorded, according to data from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.

A record 3,808 people died on Wednesday.

The presidential inauguration ceremony and events surrounding it have also been slimmed down in light of the pandemic.

Stands built for spectators to watch the inauguration parade are being dismantled, and the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has cancelled the traditional lunch held in the Capitol after the new president is sworn into office.

“In light of the ongoing pandemic, the JCCIC, in consultation with the Presidential Inaugural Committee, has made the decision to not move forward with hosting the traditional inaugural luncheon,” said JCCIC spokesperson Paige Waltz in a statement.

The usually lavish meal traditionally sees lawmakers served a showcase of American food, from Maine lobster, to Gulf shrimp, grilled bison, and beef.

Mr Biden has asked supporters to stay home and not to come to Washington, DC on 20 January.

Earlier in December the inaugural committee said in a statement that it urges the public “to refrain from any travel and participate in the inaugural activities from home”.

The scale of the ceremony itself will be “extremely limited” and will include “vigorous health and safety protocols”. The parade from the Capitol to the White House will be “reimagined”.