On Wednesday morning, the National Mall seemed perfectly set for the start of spring: The sun was shining, the lawns were green-ish, and the cherry trees were heavy with fresh blooms of pink and white flowers.

But with the blooms in their final stage before peak bloom, the coronavirus pandemic put a damper on the day. The National Cherry Blossom Festival –– which usually draws more than 1.5 million people to the District each year –– canceled most of its events last week in response to the deadly outbreak.

The cancellations and the warnings against gathering in crowds didn’t stop a few hundred people –– some in larger groups –– from strolling around the Tidal Basin, the Mall’s most coveted spot to see the celebrated trees.

[Read the latest updates about coronavirus in our region here]

Around lunchtime, couples were snapping selfies while kids played in the grass and families took paddle boats out on the water. On the East side of the Tidal Basin, the concession stand was still selling food, though employees said business was slower than usual.

Many visitors said they felt safe coming out. Jen Matich and her family wore face masks to admire the scene. “We felt like it was safe to come out to the cherry blossoms because it’s outdoors,” she said.

Matich and her husband, who works for the State Department, were repatriated from Mongolia a few days ago. Now, she said they’re trying to self-quarantine after taking several international flights to get back home. “We’re keeping our distance,” she said.

But while some tried to practice social distancing, most were too captivated by the delicate flowering trees to notice they had brushed shoulders with a stranger, or touched something that could be contaminated.

Dozens of cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, have been reported in D.C. and the surrounding area. And as the outbreak continues to spread across the region, most businesses –– from gyms, to schools, to restaurants –– have been shut down to the public.

Life in the District, however, isn’t nearly as restricted as it has become in other major American cities. San Francisco, for instance, recently issued a shelter in place order that asks residents to only leave their homes for essential tasks like buying groceries or medicine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the coronavirus is more likely to spread in enclosed spaces, but the agency’s guidelines on gathering outside aren’t always clear. Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of immunology at Yale, told the New York Times that to avoid contagion outdoors, it’s best to stay away from crowded paths and move aside if someone coughs nearby.

The National Park Service, which is in charge of operations at the National Mall, told DCist on Thursday that visitors should practice social distancing, wash their hands, and stay home if they’re sick.

“With peak bloom of the cherry blossoms occurring this week, we are aware that many people will visit the Tidal Basin to view the trees,” said NPS spokesperson Mike Litterst in an e-mailed statement. “Although the park is not closed, we encourage all visitors, particularly the most vulnerable, including the elderly and people with underlying conditions, to make smart decisions and to follow CDC guidance to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

Meanwhile, Metro is restricting its service to essential travel only and closing down the Smithsonian and Arlington Cemetery stations to prevent trips to see the cherry blossoms. “Again, Metro is for essential trips only,” the agency tweeted Thursday. “We’ll do cherry blossoms another time.”

Paddle boat rentals on the Tidal Basin are expected to close indefinitely on Thursday at 5 p.m., according to Joseph Cangianelli, a manager at Guest Services, the company that runs the service. “It’s just too much to keep control of it,” he told DCist. “We’ve opted to close.”

Cangianelli said he didn’t know who ordered the closure. “That’s a decision that comes from higher up on the ladder than me,” he said. NPS said the directive did not come from them.

“I am concerned for the entire world right now,” Cangianelli said. The paddle boat rentals will reopen “as soon as it’s safe for everyone to go back to work,” he added.

Peter Baggetta was out reading a book on a bench by the water. “I’m making the most out of it,” he said about the coronavirus outbreak. “This is a great time to come watch the cherry blossoms because any other year it would be packed.”

The pandemic has been on his mind, but it hasn’t stopped him from riding his bike every day. “You have to get outside because –– in terms of your mental health –– if you stay in all the time, what do you do?” he said. “I think locking yourself in your house completely isn’t going to work long term.”

As she waited for a friend, Helene Casper, a longtime area resident, said she hadn’t seen the cherry trees in years. “We just stopped because it was always so crowded and it was just not fun,” said Casper.

Casper said she was a little concerned about the virus, but has been taking precautions. “I’m really being careful,” she said. “I’m not kissing and hugging or shaking hands and all that stuff.”

But she thinks D.C. is still behind other cities when it comes to social distancing. In her opinion, a complete lockdown could be coming any day now. “I was driving down here thinking –– why are people out?” she said. “Have you seen the pictures of New York? There’s not a car on the road!”