Nathan Deal Cancels Nonessential Inaugural Activities Monday

ATLANTA -- Georgia Gov.-elect Nathan Deal announced that all nonessential Inaugural activities have been canceled for Monday due to winter weather.

Deal made the announcement at a press conference on Sunday.

Neither the Prayer Breakfast at Mount Paran nor the Celebration at Philips Arena will be held.

The swearing-in ceremonies for all Georgia constitutional officers will still take place inside the state Capitol on the floor of the House of Representatives. Deal encouraged residents to stay off the roads and watch the ceremony live on Georgia Public Broadcasting at 2:30 p.m.

"We believe the safety of the Georgia public is primary," Deal said. "We are encouraging everyone who was coming to stay off the roads. We don't want disappointment to change into catastrophe."

Deal said there would not be seating available for the general public or ticket holders inside the Capitol. Anyone who has tickets for the swearing-in ceremony and still wants to attend will be seated at the Georgia Freight Depot to view the ceremony through live feed.

All tickets purchased for the Inaugural Celebration will be refunded via the method of payment, Deal said. Deal officials said they would make every effort to get refunds to people in a timely manner, but they would be processing thousands of refunds.