Visitors will once again have public access to the Capitol and all House office buildings beginning on Tuesday, opening up to tours and official business for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
The buildings will officially reopen at noon on Tuesday, the exact time the new Congress will be sworn into office and Republicans take control of the House chamber, according to a notice sent to House members and staff from the sergeant-at-arms on Friday. Access to the Capitol Visitor Center is also set to fully reopen in March 2023.
MCCARTHY: US CAPITOL TO REOPEN IN SIX DAYS UNDER REPUBLICAN PARTY
The reopening of the Capitol comes after a yearlong pledge from Republican lawmakers to reverse changes made by Democrats over the last two years in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
The Capitol was first closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, shutting down its offices to all visitors as lawmakers sought to curb the spread of the virus. Its reopening has been continually delayed due to surges caused by new COVID-19 variants, leaving the building cut off from everyone except lawmakers, top Capitol staffers, law enforcement officials, journalists, and other essential workers.
GOP lawmakers in February introduced a resolution that would reopen the Capitol building, along with all of its House and Senate offices, and reinstate visitor policies that were in place before the pandemic. The resolution passed the Senate but has been stalled in the House since being introduced.
The Capitol was later reopened to limited public tours in March 2022.
Reopening the Capitol is just one of several policy changes Republicans are seeking to implement upon taking control of the House, including plans to scrap proxy voting, remove the magnetometers placed outside the chamber, and restore “regular order” by having legislation go through committees, according to a plan released by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy earlier this year.
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A handful of Democrats have also called for the Capitol building to reopen over the last year, pointing to waning COVID-19 case numbers and high vaccine compliance as evidence the policies are no longer needed.
