Washington Monument closed through Jan. 24
The Washington Monument was closed and tours suspended Monday until after President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in the wake of riots at the U.S. Capitol last week.
According to a notice from Jeffrey P. Reinbold, superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, the monument will be closed through Jan. 24. The monument is on Washington’s National Mall, which typically hosts inaugural crowds. “Groups involved in the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol continue to threaten to disrupt the 59th presidential inauguration on January 20, 2021,” Reinbold wrote. “This includes the set up and execution of inaugural events, which occur in several park areas.”
The National Parks Service, which operates the National Mall and Memorial Parks, may also temporarily close roadways, parking lots and restrooms “if conditions warrant, to protect public safety and park resources.”
“These temporary closures are based upon a determination, in consultation with the local authorities, that such actions are necessary for the maintenance of public health and safety,” Reinbold wrote, noting the closures may be extended.
The Washington Monument reopened to tourists in October 2019 after a three-year refurbishment project. But like many attractions, the 555-foot marble obelisk that honors America’s first president was closed when the coronavirus pandemic hit; it reopened Oct. 1 after six months. It then was closed for several days in December after Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, who led a private tour of the monument, tested positive for the coronavirus.
Presidential inaugurations typically are attended by hundreds of dignitaries – including former presidents, Supreme Court justices and members of Congress – and hundreds of thousands of spectators spill out across the National Mall to witness the ceremonies. The crowd at Barack Obama’s first inauguration was estimated at a record-shattering 1.8 million.
Biden has said he wants people to celebrate his inauguration, but many events already had been planned to be held virtually because of the pandemic.