White House tours to resume, masks required

The White House announced Tuesday that official public tours of the complex will resume September 12, nearly six months after tours were suspended during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

While the White House resumes tours, a number of social distancing guidelines will be implemented, including mandatory face coverings for all visitors over the age of 2. Tours will only operate two days a week, Friday and Saturday, from 8 to 11 a.m. Capacity for the tours will be at 18%.

On a given year, the White House welcomes over 1 million visitors to the complex each year. And even with the large number of tours, the demand for tours far exceeds the supply.

The White House tours are generally held away from working areas of the White House.

While the White House is resuming tours, a number of other capital-area facilities have remained closed to the public since March, including the US Capitol. As of Tuesday, the National Zoo and the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia are the only Smithsonian institutions to be currently open.