The U.S. Capitol reopened to the public Monday for guided tours for limited groups of people who have registered in advance, congressional officials said.
This announcement comes two years after the coronavirus pandemic prompted the cessation of such visits.
The move, announced Wednesday, marked Congress' latest relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions as Washington, D.C., and the world struggle to return to normalcy as the omicron variant wave wanes in the U.S. Mask requirements inside the Capitol were relaxed weeks ago in a gradual easing that has been colored by politics, with Republicans pushing for more aggressive easing of restrictions than Democrats.
The Capitol Visitor Center, an adjacent underground complex that has exhibits and a restaurant, would tentatively reopen to limited numbers of visitors on May 30, officials said.