As Inauguration Day for President-elect Joe Biden draws closer, the District is introducing new security measures every day, including a new fence that was set up in front of the National Mall on Thursday evening.
Eight-foot, anti-climb steel fences have been placed around the US Capitol, the White House, the Supreme Court and other federal buildings in recent days. Workers were spotted installing barbed wire on top of the fences around the Capitol.
7:30 PM: #New fencing installed in front of National Mall. pic.twitter.com/VvtA4oJfWQ
— Anna-Lysa Gayle (@AnnaLysaGayle) January 15, 2021
A barricade was also erected outside the Trump hotel, which is in the White House neighborhood.
Releasing a statement on January 11, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, along with the governors of Maryland and Virginia, called on Americans to stay away from the District of Columbia on Inauguration Day and instead to join the event virtually due to security concerns in light of January 6’s deadly Capitol siege.
In addition, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced it is closing 13 stations, 11 of them from Friday, January 15 through Thursday, January 21, restricting travel in and around the downtown Washington area. (Click here for the details of Metro closures.)
WMATA General Manager Paul Wiedefeld echoed DMV leaders’ call in a release, urging residents to stay out of downtown on January 20.
Approximately 15,000 National Guard troops are expected to be deployed in DC to support local law enforcement on Inauguration Day, and some will be carrying weapons.
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