COVID-19 halts tours at White House, Capitol, Pentagon

WASHINGTON

The White House, U.S. Capitol building, and Pentagon announced closures to public tours Thursday because of the spread of the coronavirus.

A representative with the White House Visitors Center told Anadolu Agency tours are being canceled "indefinitely" during a telephone call.

Separately, in addition to closing the Capitol Visitor Centers, all House of Representatives and Senate office buildings would be closed to the public, the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms announced in a joint statement.

"We are taking this temporary this temporary action out of concern for the health and safety of congressional employees as well as the public," it said.

That closures will go into effect at 5 p.m. Thursday (2100 GMT).

The Pentagon said its tours would be canceled effective immediately "until further notice."

"We regret the inconvenience to our more than 2,000 visitors a week, but our key priorities are the health of our people & ensuring our ability to continue executing vital national security missions," spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said in a statement.