Shift on Capitol Hill followed other major venues and organizations announcing restrictions
The decision to suspend tours of the Capitol followed a chaotic cascade of announcements Wednesday from the World Health Organization officially labeling COVID-19 as a pandemic to Washington, D.C., declaring a state of emergency and barring large-scale gatherings to a congressman’s decision to share “sustained precautionary protocols.”
Earlier in the week, a growing roster of lawmakers who had been in contact with people confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus was not enough for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the two chambers’ sergeants-at-arms to close the Capitol to visitors and tours.
Lawmakers and health and safety officials on the Hill struggled to make the choice about limiting access to the Capitol as they weighed the threat of the coronavirus against the desire to keep the building open to the public. Continue reading.