(19 Jan 2021) President-elect Joe Biden's first event after arriving in Washington on Tuesday, along with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, was to take part in an evening ceremony at the Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial to honor the 400,000 American lives lost to COVID-19.
"To heal, we must remember," President-elect Joe Biden said. "It's hard sometimes to remember, but that's how we heal."
"It's important to do that as a nation," he said.
Rows of white rectangular monoliths line the north and south sides of the Reflecting Pool were lit up as the sun went down.
Inaugural organizers on Monday finished installing some 200,000 U.S., state and territorial flags on the National Mall, a display to represent the American people who couldn't come to the inauguration, which is restricted under the tight security and Covid restrictions.
It's also a reminder of all the president-elect faces as he looks to steer the nation through the pandemic with infections and deaths soaring.
Out of the starting gate, Biden and his team are intent on moving quickly to speed up the distribution of vaccinations to anxious Americans and pass his $1.9 trillion virus relief package, which includes quick payments to many people and an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
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