The National Park Service said Friday it was immediately closing the National Mall and iconic U.S. landmarks in Washington to visitors through at least Jan. 21.
The Mall includes landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. The area around the White House has also been closed, as has a key bridge over the Potomac River that connects Virginia to Washington, as well as East and West Potomac Parks, including Hains Point, which are near the Mall.
Washington, D.C., has many of the looks of a war zone.
In an unprecedented move, the government and private sector have partnered to lock down the district ahead of next week's inauguration.
Normal security precautions for an inauguration entail blocking off streets near several locations a couple of days in advance. This year, neighborhoods near the White House, Capitol Hill, and in between the two famous buildings have transitioned into fenced-in city blocks where residents cannot drive out of apartment building garages or even walk outside without expecting to be questioned by police.
While the pandemic has kept many at home instead of heading into the office for work, streets downtown lay bare by Thursday, eerily silent. Some Washingtonians loaded up on groceries as if it was the onset of the coronavirus.
The Department of Homeland Security moved its lockdown of Washington up by nearly a week at the request of Mayor Muriel Bowser, which allowed inaugural security forces to set up miles of barricades across town early. Dump trucks, buses, and other large vehicles were parked in dozens of roads to prevent attacks from vehicles.
Acting DHS Secretary Pete Gaynor told department officials that the agency approved Bowser's request to begin security preparations Wednesday, nearly a week earlier than planned. Gaynor is the head of Federal Emergency Management Agency and recently took over DHS following acting Secretary Chad Wolf’s resignation on Monday.
Downtown tourism
The National Mall, where the public normally gathers to watch the swearing-in of a new president, will be off limits to locals and visitors, the National Park Service announced Thursday. The National Mall includes the Washington Monument and stretches nearly a mile and a half east to the back of the Capitol, where the inauguration takes place. Most Smithsonian museums are located on the National Mall and were closed in late 2020 due to the rising number of coronavirus numbers regionally. Indoor dining was banned in late December and has since been extended through the inauguration, forcing people to eat outside, which many are likely to forgo given potentially dangerous conditions outside.
Biden and Bowser have asked the public not to travel to Washington to attend inauguration festivities.
Street closures
Starting Thursday morning, streets around the White House, downtown, and Capitol Hill were shut down to traffic. New fencing was put near the White House, further extending the temporary fence by another two blocks north from I Street to K Street and two more blocks west from 17th Street to 19th Street. Fences on the east side were pushed out from 15th Street to 14th Street. Residents who live and businesses that operate within all shut-down areas should expect to be approached by law enforcement.
Parking garages in the affected zones will be sealed. Vehicles left inside will not be able to be retrieved until late next week.
A 7-foot, unscaleable fence was installed around the Capitol the day after it was attacked and has been expanded to countless places around the city. The same Capitol fencing was seen on 13th Street despite White House plans only to extend it to 14th Street. Eighteen-wheeler trucks parked on K Street offloaded shipments of plywood near the White House Wednesday night as workers secured windows and doors on office buildings and eateries.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Friday issued a proclamation declaring a state of emergency related to the 2021 presidential inauguration.
The executive action will allow the state to more efficiently coordinate support and provide assistance to local jurisdictions within Maryland and neighboring states.
He was required to show his ID. #UnlikeAnElection”
No comments:
Post a Comment