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Live stream: National memorial, lighting ceremony to honor COVID victims

Live stream: National memorial, lighting ceremony to honor COVID victims

Flags are placed on the National Mall, looking towards the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial, ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON โ€“ President-elect Joe Biden is planning a lighting ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to honor those killed by the coronavirus the day before he is sworn into office on Jan. 20. The Presidential Inaugural Committee will hold the event the evening of Jan. 19, calling it the โ€œfirst-ever lighting around the Reflecting Pool to memorialize American lives lost.โ€ It is also inviting communities around the country to join Washington in lighting up buildings and ringing church bells at 5:30 p.m. in โ€œa national moment of unity and remembrance.โ€Watch live at 5:30 p.m.:"In the midst of a pandemic โ€” when so many Americans are grieving the loss of family, friends, and neighbors โ€” it is important that we honor those who have died, reflect on what has been one of the more challenging periods in the nationโ€™s history, and renew our commitment to coming together to end the pandemic and rebuild our nation,โ€ inauguration committee spokesman Pili Tobar said in a statement. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris plan to take their oaths of office outside the U.S. Capitol building, part of inauguration events that aim to capture the traditional grandeur of the historic ceremony while complying with COVID-19 protocols.