The new wave of anxiety over the hill over possible protests this week coincides with plans to reopen the Capitol on Wednesday to restricted groups of visitors. This is the first time that visitors to ‘official affairs’ have been admitted from outside the Capitol’s headquarters, as the coronavirus has imposed significant restrictions. Additional visitors will be allowed into the rest of the buildings next Wednesday, the day of Biden’s speech.
The weapons sergeant is expected to formally announce the new visit protocol in a letter to congressional offices on Tuesday.
The task of securing the Capitol also came at a House leadership meeting Monday night where lawmakers discussed potential protests this week, according to sources familiar with the talks.
Some draconian security measures implemented after January 6 have begun to revolve around the Capitol complex. The outer perimeter fence was removed a few weeks ago, amid dual concerns that the heavy fortresses have hampered traffic in Washington, DC and created a fortress-like atmosphere in the traditionally open campus. The National Guard has also reduced its presence in the Capitol complex over the past few weeks, although there are still troops.
But a few days after the outer fence came down, an assailant bumped into a vehicle in a Capitol police station, killing one officer, William Evans, and injuring another. This fatal incident, as well as ongoing surveys of the security of the Capitol in the aftermath of the uprising, added some uncertainty to the security plans for lawmakers, staff and visitors.