Dr. Jill Biden, the first lady, guides second graders through the East Wing on Valentine’s Day. Plans have been announced to resume public tours of the White House.
The White House is set to open for public tours on April 15, more than two years after they were suspended because of the pandemic.
The free tours will operate on Fridays and Saturdays only, the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.
The White House “reserves the right to adjust availability of the public tours as necessary to adhere to the latest health guidance,” the statement said.
The White House did not say why it was resuming tours, which were suspended in March 2020, although caseloads in Washington, D.C., have reached lows not recorded since last summer, according to a New York Times database.
Masks will be optional on the tours, and the White House statement makes no mention of vaccines. Guests cannot attend if they have experienced Covid symptoms, come into contact with someone with a confirmed or suspected case, or tested positive for the virus in the previous 10 days.
As was the case before the pandemic, people must request a public tour through a Congress member’s office between 21 to 90 days in advance. In past years, White House tours went through parts of the East Wing and the Residence, with Secret Service agents stationed in every room, available to answer historical questions.
Information about the annual spring garden tour and the Easter Egg Roll, which has been canceled twice because of the pandemic, will be available in the coming days, the White House said.
Source: nytimes.com
