The United States Capitol will formally reopen to visitors and tourists on Monday, after being closed to the public for about two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns following the Jan. 6 riots.
A limited reopening will begin on March 28 with legislature-led and employee tours of up to 15 people, as well as limited school tours, according to a memo from William J. Walker, the House sergeant-at-arm, and Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the attending physician. Guided tours of the Capitol Dome for up to eight people begin April 25, and the Capitol Visitors Center will open fully in late May.
“We appreciate your continued patience and cooperation as we work together to resume public tours of the Capitol for the American people in a manner that protects the health and safety of visitors and institutional staff alike,” wrote Mr. Walker and Dr. Monahan in the note.
The two men said the phased reopening was coordinated with Congressional leadership, the US Capitol Police Board, the Capitol Police and other leaders.
The Capitol has seen a surge in visitor numbers in recent weeks, even before the announcement was made. The formal reopening comes as pandemic restrictions ease across the country and just weeks after House leaders announced masks would no longer be needed in the room, regardless of vaccination status. The White House said last week that public tours would begin in April, after being closed to the public due to the pandemic.
Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, the non-voting representative for Washington, DC, said the reopening was too slow, especially given the effectiveness of vaccines.
“America’s symbols of democracy must be accessible to the people we serve,” she said in a statement. “The distance between government and people has already grown, with trust in government at an all-time low. We cannot dig that distance any further by postponing the reopening of the Capitol, especially if the instruments are in place to prevent serious illness and death from Covid-19.”
Republicans, many of whom eschewed mask-wearing and other pandemic restrictions long before this year, have urged Democratic leaders to agree to reopen the building. But there has been a spate of recent coronavirus cases on Capitol Hill, with Pennsylvania Democrat Senator Bob Casey announcing a positive test on Tuesday†
The Capitol was first closed in March 2020, but reopening has been delayed as new variants swept across the country and security concerns mounted after the January 6 riots. Capitol police ranks were exhausted after the attack, as officers recovered from the mental and physical trauma sustained defending the building.