US Capitol set to partially reopen for guided tours March 28

WASHINGTON - Scheduled tours will soon be resuming at the U.S. Capitol.

Officials with the Capitol announced Wednesday that the building will reopen to the public using a phased approach starting on Monday, March 28, after a nearly two year closure.

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The first phase of reopening will allow for a limited number of member-led, staff-led, and school group tours. Here details on what's being reopened in phase one:

Member-led and Staff-led Tours
Member-led and staff-led tours will accommodate a maximum of 15 guests. All tours will need to be scheduled with the Capitol's Visitor Services starting Thursday, March 24. Staff-led tours will be available Monday-Friday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and must follow an approved tour route. Officials say only one tour can be reserved per week due to limited availability.

School Group Tours
School group tour reservations can also be made starting Thursday, March 24. Reservations will be available Monday-Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. During phase one, only Kindergarten through High School tours will be allowed, and the visits will be limited to one per week.  All tours need to be scheduled in advance with the Capitol's Visitor Services

Dome Tours
Dome tours will resume on April 25. These tours must be member led and will be offered Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Dome tours must be scheduled ahead of time by Capitol Visitor Services. Reservations will be taken starting April 11.

Gift Shop
The gift shop located in the Capitol Visitor Center will be open throughout phase one.

Phase two of the reopening will allow the Capitol Visitor Center to reopen to limited amounts of visitors, who are not on guided tours. Phase two is anticipated to start by the end of May.

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The Capitol building and visitor center have been largely shut down to the public since March 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.