If covid 19is as bad as they claim then would it not make sense to limit the inauguration to a hand full of people and cancel the balls?

Excellent point....... Let's wait and see what happens...

Even with Covid restrictions I wouldn't be surprised if the crowds were bigger than the small crowds in 2017

Would make sense... that is why the  commie dems will never think of it.  are you kidding, Biden wants his minute in the limelight before  commie Kamilla kicks him out..!

As the protests, riots, George Floyd's funerals, John Lewis's memorial and the various Mayor sanctioned Biden victory parties proved, COVID-19 doesn't spread if the intent of the gathering is acceptable to the media. 

"We will adjust accordingly as the circumstances warrant,” says Spring Binsted, a spokesperson for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. 

Covid19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is a word created to describe this year's flu season. H1n1, SARS, MERS, influenza, and even the common cold are all a form of coronavirus. Wearing a mask will not filter any form of coronavirus and can be detrimental to your health by hyperventilating carbon dioxide and causing hypoxia that drastically reduces your immune system. These are warnings from the Surgeon General the medical doctors you're hearing from on the news have never studied microbiology or virology in their life and are not even trusted with a scalpel and the ones that do like Dr. Fauci has a personal investment into the patents for the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and their vaccines.

Mandates, ordinance, policies falls under no jurisdiction of any form of law. Because a mask in this situation is considered a medical device politicians do not have the authority to make decisions without a medical license. Any action taken in this regard subjugates themselves to prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.

There is also a critical importance to make it a show of strength unless Trump reverses himself. They do have to limit things far more than what I would want to see, but it can't be somber and handful as that is detrimental to the country also.

Weather may not cooperate but I've seen outdoor Covid-19 caution concerts of spaced booths that stretched long distances and large displays to see. You are correct that they don't need the parties.

Covid restrictions will be the only way that the Biden Inauguration crowd will be smaller than Trump's sparse crowd. 

In a normal year the Mall would be packed. 

that will probably be what happens since Biden takes the covid seriously and doesn't treat it like a cold or a hoax

Pack the inauguration and parties with as many far left liberals as you can.  Put the far right bunch in there, too.