The monument will receive visitors again, starting Wednesday, July 14!
After six months of closure, the Washington Monument will be welcoming visitors back starting Wednesday, July 14, at 9 a.m.
The Monument has been closed since Inauguration Day in January 2021 for security measures surrounding President Joe Biden’s swear into office. Following that, it stayed closed due to COVID. Now, as more and more people are vaccinated, the city is opening up and now, so is the Washington Monument!
Back in October 2020, the Monument reopened after being closed since March 2020 when the pandemic hit, closing almost everything in DC. It shut down again a couple of months later in December 2020 when after a private tour, the Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt tested positive for COVID. It reopened briefly but then closed on January 11, 2021, for the Inauguration, then stayed closed indefinitely to prevent the spread of the virus. Now it’s finally reopening!
As part of the new safety measures, masks must be worn inside even for fully vaccinated visitors. Social distancing measures will be in place, and hand sanitizer stations will be installed inside. The monument will be operating daily at reduced capacity from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Unlike before, the tickets now require a non-refundable reservation fee of $1.5 and are valid for up to four people traveling together. Tickets will be available online only and will be up for purchase every day at 10 a.m. for the next day’s visit (i.e. if you’re planning on going October 3, tickets will be available for that day starting at 10 am October 2).
[Featured image: @grback12 / Instagram ]