After good-sized crowds over the weekend, 70 degrees and plenty of sunshine drew a lot of people once again to the Tidal Basin Tuesday to see the cherry blossoms, despite guidance to stay away.
Walking around the Tidal Basin, it feels like there are a lot of people, maybe too many to match COVID protocols of social distancing. Even so, the majority of people checking out the cherry blossoms were wearing masks.
鈥淥ver the last couple days we鈥檝e seen a small portion or a fraction of the crowds we would see on a normal year,鈥� National Park Service Spokesman Mike Litterst said.
Litterst says the trigger to close the area would be if people cannot maintain social distance, or clump together in groups of 50 or more, which would violate D.C.鈥檚 COVID-19 protocols.
Litterst says the Park service is still reminding people there are other ways to enjoy the cherry blossoms.
“We will continue throughout the peak bloom period to encourage people to enjoy a virtual peak bloom this year and avoid the Tidal Basin,” he said.
You can check out the blossom online through the .
