US Capitol closed to public as coronavirus hits Congress

Officials ordered the US Capitol closed to much of the public on Thursday. The move comes one day after a staffer for a US senator from Washington state tested positive for the coronavirus.

Limited access to the Capitol would begin at 5pm ET (2100 GMT), the House and Senate Sergeant at Arms said in a statement. The Capitol Visitor Center will be closed and all public tours suspended.

Lawmakers, staff and visitors with official business would still be allowed entry, Capitol officials said.

Democratic US Senator Maria Cantwell on Wednesday said she would shut down her Washington, DC office after one of her staffers tested positive for COVID-19, Reuters reports. Republican Senator Tom Cotton said on Thursday he was also closing his Capitol facility as a precautionary measure.