The monument has been closed since January 11 due to security concerns in the aftermath of the January 6 uprising at the American Capitol and the inauguration day.
“The National Park Service will monitor the health conditions in the Washington DC area, as well as the opening status of other visitor attractions in the area, and reopen the Washington Monument and other indoor parking facilities as soon as it is safe to do so,” the Park Service said in the statement said. A reopening date has not yet been set.
The monument closed in March, along with a handful of DC beacons over the pandemic, before reopening in October, although there was another brief closure in December.
There have been 870 deaths since January due to Covid in Washington, DC. In the US, Covid-19 killed at least 416,907 people and infected about 25 million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
This latest closure comes under the new Biden government, which has generally used a very different approach to coronavirus preventative measures compared to the Trump administration.
President Joe Biden used his first full day in office on Thursday to unveil his national strategy to combat the pandemic, which includes the signing of several executive actions.
“Our national strategy is comprehensive, it’s based on science, not politics. It’s based on truth, not denial, and it’s detailed,” Biden said from the White House. The Biden administration’s 198-page plan is posted on WhiteHouse.gov.