Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) warned Friday that the city will see what she described as a “new normal” regarding security following President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
“We are going to go back to a new normal,” Bowser said when asked if D.C.’s sweeping security measures will ease up once Biden is in office, per Reuters.
“I think our entire country is going to have to deal with how our intelligence apparatus, security apparatus at every level deal with a very real and present threat to our nation,” the mayor added.
Bowser’s remarks come after the Department of Defense authorized up to 25,000 service members to support federal law enforcement for the inauguration.
“Our National Guard soldiers and airmen are set around the city to protect our nation’s Capital,” National Guard Bureau Chief Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson said in the statement.
On Friday, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is closing 11 train stations that serve the Capitol area and the National Mall — a commemorative section of the city that spans several miles and includes the White House, Washington Monument, and memorials honoring Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and soldiers from World War II, Vietnam, and Korea.
Two other Metro stations will close on Saturday, transportation officials said, and more than two dozen bus routes that typically pass through the downtown area will be detoured.
The closures will run through Thursday.
“We are working closely with our regional and federal partners to keep the public safe during this national special security event and to discourage travel within the secure zone,” Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said in a statement.
The UPI contributed to this report.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.