The interior of the Washington Monument will be temporarily closed to visitors beginning Friday due to a reduction in workforce from exposure to the coronavirus, the National Park Service said Thursday.
The park service said the monument could not be operated safely after accounting for the staffing shortage.
The monument reopened in October of this year after a six-month hiatus due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
A spokesman for the National Park Service said at the time that the reopening would be dependent on health metrics remaining above a certain threshold and that they were prepared to shut it down again.
The Park Service did not give a timeline for the monument to reopen, saying, “NPS is working to staff the Washington Monument at the appropriate levels to maintain the safety of its operations for visitors and employees.”
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