The public will be allowed greater access to the Senate as the Capitol enters the third phase of reopening from pandemic restrictions.
The Senate sergeant-at-arms informed offices last week that beginning Monday, tour groups will be allowed to watch floor proceedings from the Senate gallery, Punchbowl News reported. The Capitol has been slowly getting back to pre-pandemic operations, with tours resuming in May.
CAPITOL GROUP TOURS SET TO RETURN AFTER LONG COVID-19 HIATUS
The doors to the gallery will open a half hour before the Senate is called into session and be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on days when the chamber is out of session. The House sergeant-at-arms is expected to make a similar announcement this week regarding the lower chamber’s public access.
The slow reopening is partially due to difficulty restaffing the Capitol Police force. The department is over 200 officers short of authorized staffing levels following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, which led many officers to resign. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger told Politico that though it’s past its low point, the force is “at least 300 short of where I would like us to be ultimately.”
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In May, the second reopening phase extended tour times and reopened the Capitol’s cafe and gift shop, while the first, in March, lifted the mask mandate.
The Capitol was closed to the public to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus in March 2020. The White House returned to full public operations in June, and the Supreme Court will begin allowing public tours when it starts its new session in October.
