The Capitol is unusually quiet ahead of Biden's joint address

(Image credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

last updated 29 April 2021

Americans are probably used to similar sights at this point of the coronavirus pandemic, but many journalists were still struck by images of an empty Statuary Hall ahead of President Biden's address to Congress on Wednesday night.

Before such a speech (Biden is technically not giving a State of the Union address because it's his first year in office, but it will serve a similar purpose), the hall is usually filled to the brim with members of the media, as well as lawmakers waiting to be interviewed. Given health and safety protocols this year, however, it looks like a ghost town. Tim O'Donnell

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.