Large sections in and around the National Mall are closed through Thursday, January 21, the National Park Service announced Friday. The closure is one of many safety precautions and closures ordered by the U.S. Secret Service leading up to Inauguration Day.

The closure includes all NPS property within a rough perimeter of Constitution Avenue, NW to the north; Ohio Drive, SW to the south; the Potomac River to the west; and 3rd Street to the east. The area includes Lafayette Square, the Ellipse, East and West Potomac parks, and federal land along Pennsylvania Ave.

NPS said in a release that it’s closing the areas “in response to real and substantially likely threats to visitors and park resources.”

Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt cited the “unprecedented nature of the recent civil unrest at the U.S. Capitol coupled with the real and substantial threat of violence,” in a record of the agency’s determination.

“The violent breach of the U.S. Capitol by Domestic Violent Extremists (DVEs) on January 6, 2021, could serve as a driver for future targeted violence directed towards government officials, federal landmarks, members of the media, and members of the general public,” Bernhardt said. “Specifically, DVEs could exploit upcoming events to engage in or justify violence during the Presidential Inauguration … Furthermore, the violent breach of the U.S. Capitol is very likely part of an ongoing trend in which DVEs attempt to exploit lawful protests, rallies, demonstrations, and other gatherings to carry out ideologically-motivated violence and criminal activities.”

The Park Service is reserving areas near the U.S. Navy Memorial and John Marshall Park for First Amendment demonstrations by groups with approved permits. Participants will be screened by law enforcement and escorted to their permitted location, officials said. Jeffrey Reinbold, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, said at a press briefing that each location along Pennsylvania Ave. will have a maximum of 100 demonstrators.

An NPS spokesperson said the permits are for Answer Coalition, which according to its filing is “demanding urgent action to save the environment,” and DC Action Lab, which requested a “free speech demonstration against the inauguration.” The permits haven’t officially been issued yet, but it’s customary for NPS to do so in the immediate days leading up to demonstrations. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had previously asked the agency to cancel all public gathering permits on federal property through January 24.

The full closed-off National Mall area includes the following roads and their adjacent sidewalks:

• Constitution Ave, NW from Rock Creek Parkway, NW to 17th Street NW
• 17th Street to H Street NW
• H Street to 15th Street NW
• 15th Street to Pennsylvania Ave NW
• Pennsylvania Ave NW, from 15th Street to 3rd Street SW (except for designated areas for permitted First Amendment activities
• 3rd Street SW, from Pennsylvania Ave NW, to Independence Ave SW
• Independence Ave, from 3rd Street to Ohio Drive SW
• Ohio Drive SW to Rock Creek Parkway NW
• East and West Potomac Parks including Hains Point, all memorials and NPS areas
  contained within
• On and off ramps to Potomac Park, from I-395 N and I-395
• Lincoln Memorial Circle
• Memorial Bridge, from Washington Blvd to Lincoln Memorial Circle
• The White House Complex, all of Lafayette Park and the White House sidewalk, the
  Ellipse, First Division Park, and Sherman Park.

This is a stark contrast to previous inaugurations, when massive crowds gathered along the public grounds to view the transition of power. Barack Obama’s inaugurations, for example, both drew at least one million attendees, and Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration brought a crowd of over 300,000. Now, with multiple law enforcement agencies warning of potential far-right violence, President-elect Joe Biden’s team is asking members of the public to stay away.

“I know a lot of people in D.C. are interested in knowing where they can go to attend,” Matt Hill, senior spokesperson for Biden’s Presidential Inaugural Committee, told DCist/WAMU. “But we have to do our best to communicate that we want them really to stay home.”

Bowser has urged people to avoid downtown and surrounding areas. Road closures are already in effect, and Metro has announced it will close 13 stations through January 21, the day after the inauguration.

Officials have said that about 20,000 troops with the National Guard will be in the city for Inauguration Day. Many have already arrived.

The F.B.I. has warned about the potential for violence from far-right extremists in D.C. and across the country. A Pentagon official told the New York Times they were worried about the threat of pipe bombs, after explosive devices were placed outside the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters last week. The official also noted threats that insurrectionists could show up at the homes of lawmakers or target their families.

The Times reported that a bulletin produced by the National Counterterrorism Center and the Justice and Homeland Security Departments said that extremists “who seek a race war may exploit the aftermath of the Capitol breach by conducting attacks to destabilize and force a climactic conflict in the United States.” Attacks, according to the agencies, may target racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, as well as journalists and the LGBTQ community.

As a result, some D.C. residents have been feeling on-edge and adjusting their routines to avoid downtown —though employees at hotels, for example, may not have the choice to stay home.

Dominique Maria Bonessi contributed reporting to this story. This post has been updated with information about the First Amendment activities permitted during the Inauguration.