After six months of COVID-19 pandemic-related closure, the Washington Monument will reopen on Thursday.
The National Park Service announced Monday that tickets to tour the landmark will be available online only starting Wednesday.
“It is a little bit of a return to normalcy,” said park service spokesman Mike Litterst. “And I think we’re starting to see a little bit more of that around town.
“With the Smithsonian’s having having opened and other museums and attractions opening seemed like it was a good time.”
Things will be a little different, too, to prevent anyone from getting sick: Face coverings will be required, and elevator capacity will be limited — four to eight at a time, as opposed to the usual 15 to 18. The monument also will be closed from 1 to 2 p.m. each day for cleaning and disinfecting.
There will be a 10-minute time limit (per group) on the observation deck, and touchless hand sanitizers have been added throughout.
New hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. Tickets will be available daily at 10 a.m. for the next day’s visits. Each ticket is good for up to four people in a group traveling together. (Also note there will be a nonrefundable reservation fee of $1.50 for each ticket.)
Enjoy it while you can. If the public-health situation around town worsens, Litterst said, things will change.
“We would be prepared to close it again,” he said.
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