Tours will be put on hold in the Capitol amid fears about coronavirus spread
WASHINGTON – The House and Senate sergeants-at-arms are preparing to announce that tours of the U.S. Capitol are being stopped amid growing fears about the spread of the coronavirus, according to three Capitol officials familiar with the discussion.
The announcement will be made Thursday, according to one source, adding that the tours will be halted for weeks.
The move comes after House and Senate leadership tried to offer a calm and steady hand in dealing with wary lawmakers, many of whom are older and thus more susceptible to contracting the virus. They had hesitated to take the drastic step out of concerns it could escalate fears about the virus worldwide.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shot down calls for a possible recess or having lawmakers work remotely, telling members of her caucus: “We are the captains of the ship,” according to two Democratic sources. “We are the last to leave.”
Lawmakers have not announced any changes to their work in the Capitol or their planned calendar. They are still scheduled to work this week in the Capitol and go home next week for a recess break.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised people over 60 and those with underlying health problems to avoid large crowds. The average age in the Senate is 63; in the House, it’s 58.
Washington’s government declared a state of emergency and a public health emergency on Wednesday, advising that “non-essential mass gatherings,” defined as groups of over 1,000 people, be canceled or postponed
Earlier Wednesday, lawmakers expressed concerns about the continuation of tours through the Capitol complex, which hosts an estimated 3 million to 5 million visitors each year according to estimates from the Architect of the Capitol.
During a briefing with reporters, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said that halting tours of the Capitol was under consideration due to the spread of the coronavirus.
“We haven’t yet come to grips with whether or not we ought to close down the Capitol in terms of visitors. But that is certainly something that we’ll have to consider,” he said, noting it might be a step they have to take but it’s also “a step that we would be reluctant to take.”
“This is the people’s Capitol. This is the people’s house,” he said. But he added that if the tours and crowds were “more dangerous” or made people “more susceptible” to contracting the virus, then the Capitol might halt tours.
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Hoyer said he and others would be discussing the idea and said lawmakers, too, were relying on advice each day from health officials about their schedules. Some lawmakers in recent days were calling for a recess or some possible accommodations to prevent themselves from contracting the virus. Hoyer said “voting off-site is something we won’t pursue.”
In a tweet responding to a reporter who was at Hoyer’s briefing, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the third-ranking House Republican, agreed with Hoyer.
“We should take this step,” Cheney wrote. “Not doing so is putting health and safety of these tourists at risk.”
Asked by CNN if the Capitol complex should close temporarily, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the oldest member of the Senate, said she was “worried” about closing it down.
“I’m worried about the fact that we need to close this place down. I really believe that now,” she told CNN.