Local and federal officials are sending different signals about how people should celebrate the Fourth of July in the District, particularly when it comes to mass gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since last week, Mayor Muriel Bowser and her top aides have encouraged residents to stay at or near home for the holiday—and preferably in small groups—to help prevent the coronavirus from spreading. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has promoted the president’s second annual “Salute to America” event, which will occur along the National Mall and on the grounds immediately south of the White House.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Interior Department finally revealed details about plans for the event, saying the Mall and the surrounding areas will remain open to the public for “prime viewing” of fireworks and aircraft flyovers. But at her own press conference, Bowser said that while her team had told federal officials “we do not think that this [event] is in keeping with the best [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and [D.C.] Department of Health guidance,” it would take place entirely on federal property, which the U.S. government controls.
The event will feature more than 10,000 fireworks from 9:07 p.m. to 9:44 p.m., while flyovers involving aircraft ranging from the World War II era to what the department calls “the future warfare era” will happen from about 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. “above the National Mall and across the District,” according to a release. The fireworks will go off from behind the Lincoln Memorial, West Potomac Park, and the base of the Washington Monument, said Chris Rodriguez, the director of D.C.’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.
More than 800 acres of the Mall and adjacent federal parks, “equivalent to more than 600 football fields,” will be open to the public, says the Interior Department, which manages the parkland. That acreage includes the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the Jefferson Memorial, the World War II Memorial, East Potomac Park, the grounds of the Washington Monument, and the stretch of the Mall between 4th and 14th streets NW.
The fireworks will be visible (weather permitting) from a distance of three miles, including spots in D.C. and Northern Virginia, such as Anacostia Park, the George Washington Memorial Parkway, and the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial. The part of the National Mall bounded by 17th Street NW, the Lincoln Memorial, and Constitution and Independence avenues will be designated “a secure area” and restricted to four entry points where visitors will be screened. “All coolers, backpacks, packages, and persons will be subject to inspection,” says the release.
Those entry points are Constitution Avenue at 20th Street NW, Constitution Avenue between 23rd Street and Henry Bacon Drive NW, 17th Street between Constitution and Independence avenues (near the World War II Memorial), and East Basin Drive (near the Jefferson Memorial, though “visitors will not be able to access the National Mall from here,” the Interior Department points out).
As for coronavirus precautions, the Trump administration says spectators should abide by CDC guidelines and stay six feet apart from other groups, wear face masks, avoid attending if they have symptoms of sickness, and frequently wash their hands. “More than 100 hand washing stations are located throughout the Mall,” notes the Interior Department.
Asked about the plans, Bowser said her administration was “giving D.C. residents the same message about any of their outings for the holiday weekend,” including neighborhood events like cookouts. “Ask yourself: Do you need to be there?” the mayor stated. “Ask yourself: Can I anticipate or know who’s all going to be around you?”
