Washington National Guard members walk in formation away from the Legislative Building.
Around 150 to 200 National Guard troops deployed to Washington, DC, to provide security for President Joe Biden's inauguration have tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, news agency ANI reported. Joe Biden was sworn in as US president in Washington, with around 25,000 troops deployed for the event. The ratio of coronavirus infected security guards is a small fraction of the more than 25,000 troops deployed in Washington DC on January 21.
The US President's inauguration took place two weeks after rioters loyal to former President Donald Trump besieged the Capitol.
After the deadly attack that killed five on January 6, the Secret Service stepped up security for the inauguration early, essentially locking down the nation’s capital. More than 25,000 troops and police were called to duty. The National Mall was closed. Checkpoints were set up at intersections.
Meanwhile, 12 National Guard members were removed from the security operation a day earlier after vetting by the FBI, including two who had made extremist statements in posts or texts about Wednesday’s event. Pentagon officials would not give details on the statements.
The FBI vetted all 25,000 members in an extraordinary security effort in part over the presence of some ex-military in the riot.
The United States has confirmed 25,390,042 cases of coronavirus and 424,177 fatalities so far. However, 15,222,719 Covid patients have recovered from the contagious disease while 9,743,146 are still fighting against the virus.
As many as 206,357 US Military officials have tested positive till now, out of which, 76,966 are active cases. A total of 225 military personnel have lost their lives due to coronavirus while 129,166 people have been recovered.
