Juan Herrera
WMAL News
WASHINGTON- The National Park Service has announced that the Washington Monument will reopen on Thursday, Oct. 1, after being closed for over six months.
According to a press release from NPS, the monument will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with tickets available online starting Sept. 30. The monument originally closed on March 14.
Visitors can expect to see several changes at the monument due to the pandemic. For example, the monument’s elevator capacity is being reduced to 4-8 passengers to allow enough space for social distancing.
Face masks will also be required at the site.
According to Mike Litterst, the chief of communications of National Mall and Memorial Parks, tickets are only being offered online in order to prevent long lines at the site. He also mentioned that visitors should reserve their tickets the day before their planned visit.
People can get their tickets at recreation.gov, there is also a non-refundable reservation fee of $1.50 per ticket.
Along with daily cleaning, Litterst said there will be touchless hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the site. He said they’re taking added steps to keep employees and visitors protected from COVID-19.
You can read the full press release from the National Park Service here.
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