Today, 20 January, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as president and vice president, respectively, of the United States of America. The inauguration day — the day of their inauguration ceremony at the White House in the capital, Washington — is not yet over.

This year the event is different from previous years, both because of the social distancing measures imposed by the pandemic and in the wake of the assault on Congress on 6 January, which claimed five lives. Normally up to 200,000 tickets were available for attendees, but this time there are only one thousand. In addition, the security plan includes the presence of more than 10,000 soldiers, with a further 5,000 on standby in case of need. The theme chosen by Biden is America united, a slogan very dear to the 46th American president and very different from the America first of his predecessor Donald Trump.

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LifeGate's US correspondent, Laura Loguercio, is on assignment in Washington to follow the situation in real time. In this liveblog you will find all the updates, as well as in our Instagram stories. And if you want to watch her live coverage, simply visit our Facebook page.

The inauguration ceremony programme

• 17:00 (Italian time): arrival of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris at Capitol Hill, where Congress is located
• 17:15: start of the ceremony proper, with the national anthem sung by Lady Gaga, an address by young poet and activist Amanda Gorman, and a musical performance by Jennifer Lopez
• 18:00: Joe Biden's swearing-in
• 20:30–21:00: Biden is expected at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath alongside his wife Jill, Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff, Barack and Michelle Obama, George W. Bush and Laura Bush, and Bill and Hillary Clinton
• 21:15–21:30: Joe and Jill Biden are escorted to the White House
• To follow: virtual parade
• 2:30 on 21 January: Tom Hanks hosts addresses by Biden and Harris and performances by Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, Ant Clemons, Jon Bon Jovi and others.