Inauguration Day: Biden Moving To The White House
Nikki Attkisson | Last Updated : December 9, 2020Every time a new President and first family move into the White House, they carry out a ritual with precision. Just six hours before the Inauguration Day, the departing president’s family and belongings were moved out. Furniture was rearranged, carpets were cleaned, the executive mansion is transformed, and new art is hung for its new residents before even they set their foot inside.
Inauguration Day: Biden Moving To The White House
Yes, now staff are busy preparing the executive mansion for Jan.20, President-elect Joe Biden and his family. They are doing everything necessary for the current situation, in an extraordinary circumstance: the COVID-19 contagion. The virus has already infected departing President Trump, multiple White House staffers, and even first lady Melania Trump.
What happens when someone working in a business, school, library, or other public building tests positive for the virus? What happens when they even suspected contracting the coronavirus? Immediately the manager or property owner will respond and order the structure for undergoing ‘deep cleaning.’ Here, deep cleaning is a process where highly specialized contractors come and eradicate the virus through botanical disinfectants.
But neither the General Services Administration nor the White House, the government agency managing federal facilities, say that ‘precautions if any has taken for making sure the entire presidential mansion is coronavirus-free before even Biden enters.’
A spokesperson for the agency said, ‘GSA cannot comment on the services provided inside due to security reasons.’ Agency is responsible for making sure both West and East Wings ready for the new administration.
The White House chief usher’s office is responsible for preparing the residential quarters in the mansion for new occupants. The office oversees the household staff along with operations of the complex. Timothy Harleth is the current chief usher, and he worked at the Trump International Hotel in Washington. But later,Melania Trump tapped him, and he started his due to in 2017 at the White House.
There were multiple questions, but the first lady’s office did not respond to most of them regarding whether they have taken care of any antivirus measure or not.
Sheldon Yellen operates a multinational property restoration company. The company has performed all types of deep cleanings for thousands of its clients after the pandemic has started. The company has now advised the ‘deep cleaning treatment’ even to the White House before the new occupant’s arrival.
Yellen said, ‘if I plan to buy a new house right now, amid pandemic, before moving into a new house, I would want the house to undergo deep cleaning.’ He works as a chief executive officer in Beller Property Restoration in Birmingham, Michigan.
The White House: moving day
On Jan.20, the entire nation will be turned towards the U.S. Capitol. They will be watching the ceremony that will be filled with circumstance and pomp. The day Biden will take the new office’s oath, and Joe Biden becomes the nation’s 46th president officially.
Former first lady Laura Bush’s chief of staff, Anita McBride, said, ‘the primary goal behind preparation is that the house should feel like their home for the new first family that enters into the White House. The closet should be filled with their clothes, and their photos must be on the wall. The chef should prepare their favorite foods.’ Even the moving day or inauguration day at the White House is frenzied, it is a carefully choreographed dance, and it begins when the nation is in bed.
The executive residence staff and chief usher’s office is a big team of roughly ninety-five people. The group includes electricians, painters, engineers¸, plumbers, and even housekeepers. They will enter before 4 a.m., and they will go over last-minute instructions. They should collect all the supplies needed for the task ahead. The majority of the residence staff will be staying at the White House the night before the inauguration day. They will sleep in their offices or their workstations to make sure early start.
Around 9:30 a.m., the new president and his spouse arrive at the White House and have coffee with the departing first lady and commander-in-chief. Just after an hour, the two leaders will be at the limousine in the White House North Portico, and they will ride down Pennsylvania AvenueCapitol for the swearing-in together.
With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.