US Capitol extends visitor restrictions until mid-May

Officials announced on Tuesday that they are extending restrictions on public access to the Capitol until at least mid-May due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Paul Irving, the House sergeant-at-arms, and his Senate counterpart, Michael Stenger, said in a joint statement that Capitol tours would be canceled through May 16.  

They initially announced a closure through March and then extended it again through April. 

“We are taking this temporary action out of concern for the health and safety of congressional employees as well as the public,” Irving and Stenger said in a statement.

Washington, D.C., remains under a stay-at-home order through at least May 15 that allows residents to leave their homes only for essential activities. 

The announcement comes after House Democratic leaders abandoned plans to reconvene next week out of concerns that it would be too risky for lawmakers and staff to gather for extended amounts of time. 

The GOP-controlled Senate, however, still plans to return Monday.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) cited advice from the Capitol physician that it would be unsafe to bring lawmakers back to Washington, which has not yet seen a decline in coronavirus cases.

Hoyer initially announced during a conference call with House Democrats that the chamber would reconvene Monday. But several Democrats spoke up during the call expressing concerns about whether it was actually safe for all of them to return for days at a time.

House members have returned to Washington twice in the last several weeks to vote on coronavirus relief legislation but only for a day at a time. 

Officials conducted last week’s vote on an interim relief bill to provide additional funding for small-business loans and hospitals with new safety precautions, including staggering the number of lawmakers in the House chamber at a time.

At least six members of Congress have tested positive for the coronavirus as well as a handful of staff, 11 construction workers renovating a House office building and at least a dozen Capitol Police officers.