Guidelines in place for July 4 fireworks at the National Mall

National Mall July 4 guidelines released

Guidelines regarding July 4 celebrations at the National Mall have been released – including security and COVID-19 restrictions.

WASHINGTON - The District is about to take center stage in the nation’s Fourth of July celebration – but the nation’s capital will still have some restrictions in place.

The National Park Service says CDC guidelines will still be followed – which means masks are not required for vaccinated people, but unvaccinated people are encouraged to wear them.

In addition, there will be added police and security at the 2021 edition of the event, as well as check points to enter the mall.

There will be six check points in all, according to the National Park Service. The locations include the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

The Reflecting Pool will also be off limits since the fireworks will be launched from there.

Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather

"I certainly think it’s reasonable to expect that we’ll see more people than we saw last year when the pandemic was a concern, don’t know if we’ll see as many people as we would in a normal year but you know so much of the Fourth of July is contingent on the weather," said National Park Service spokesperson Mike Litterst.

Garden State Fireworks will provide the fireworks for the ninth year in a row.

The display will begin at 9:09 p.m. and will last for 17 minutes.