Capitol Hill was jubilant as President Biden was sworn in alongside Vice President Harris- and I was lucky enough to attend.

The day of the inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 46th President of the United States, dawned a clear and bright one. On Capitol Hill, D.C. luminaries, Democrats, Republicans, and yours truly, gathered to watch the swearing-in ceremony and welcome the new First Family to Washington.

 

After the events of two weeks ago, the U.S. Capitol was well-patrolled by members of the U.S armed forces. In addition to their hard work keeping the attendees and honorees safe from harm, a few of the soldiers were kind enough to pose for a photo.

 

Attending the actual inauguration began, as might be expected, with a rapid-results COVID-19 test.

 

The tests were administered by a dedicated staff of health professionals and the process was smooth and easy.

 

The testing process was also very thorough. In the interests of protecting all the attendees of the inauguration, and their families, guests like myself were happy to comply with the testing protocols.

 

Depending on the state and municipality in which you live, many of those in high-risk groups are already receiving the vaccine. Until we can all be vaccinated against COVID-19, testing is one of our first lines of defense against spreading the virus.

 

Those of us who are fortunate enough to be relatively young and healthy may need to wait a little longer to receive the vaccine. Good news; the Biden Administration has announced an aggressive plan to vaccinate 100 million people over the next 100 days. Amazon has volunteered to help the Biden Administration distribute the vaccine.

 

Until we are all able to receive the vaccine, taking advantage of COVID-19 testing is helpful to public health officials and sensible from a personal-health standpoint. As a general rule, the sooner an infected person can be isolated and treated, the better.

Once testing was complete, guests were ushered into the outdoor area prepared for the event.

 

The crowd was excited as we waited for the festivities to begin. Guests took photos to commemorate the historic eve

 

 

Seating was limited due to COVID-19 restrictions. The view from the upper platform, however, was excellent.

 

 

Entertainment for the event included three unforgettable performances by pop superstars Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and Garth Brooks and music by the United States Marine Band.

Vice President Kamala Harris received a warm welcome from the crowd.

At long last, and to the crowd’s delight, President Joe Biden was sworn in by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, and placed his hand on a Biden family Bible to swear his oath of office.

After his swearing-in ceremony concluded to thunderous applause, President Biden made his inaugural address to the attendees of the event and everyone watching from home.

In it, President Biden promised a term of healing, unity, and making progress together after the dark division of the past years.

 

Attending the inaugural event, elected Republicans and Democrats put their differences aside to welcome the Biden administration with good grace and proper aplomb.

With 2021 getting well underway, and an easing of COVID-19 restrictions happening all across the country at last, it truly is a new dawn in the United States.

(contributing writer, Brooke Bell)