Biden leads Covid-19 memorial on eve of inauguration as US deaths pass 400k

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, from right, wife Jill Biden, U.S. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and husband Douglas Emhoff stand at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool during a Covid-19 memorial to lives lost on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. Biden arrived in Washington on the eve of his inauguration with the usual backdrop of celebrations and political comity replaced by a military lockdown. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

WASHINGTON (AFP): President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday (Jan 19) signalled a new tone for the US government by leading a powerful tribute to the 400,000 Americans lost to Covid-19 as he arrived in Washington on the eve of his inauguration.

Biden, who himself has suffered deep personal tragedy of his own and who is known for his public displays of emotion, has stressed the need to unite the country after President Donald Trump's chaotic four years in office.