HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Capitol Building will reopen to the public with enhanced security protocols on Monday, March 22, the Department of General Services announced Tuesday.
The public will be able to enter the building at the Main Capitol, East Wing and North Office Building entrances. Visitors must wear a mask and adhere to social distancing. The entrances will have hand sanitizer stations and masks for visitors without them.
In response to events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, DGS is working in a bipartisan manner with the House and Senate to identify steps to strengthen security at the Capitol.
To enter the building, all visitors, lobbyists and commonwealth employees who do not work in the Capitol or the connected buildings must pass through the metal detectors at the public entrances.
Additionally, media not assigned to the Capitol Newsroom or those who do not have DGS-issued press badges must go through the metal detectors.
Pennsylvania Capitol Police will continue to maintain a high-visibility presence with increased patrols by officers and members of the Special Response Team (SRT).
No events will be scheduled inside the Capitol, and the DGS Special Events Office will provide an update when they can resume.
Outdoor events on the front Capitol Steps, Soldiers Grove and other locations may occur and must follow mitigation orders.
The Capitol has been closed to the public since Dec. 10, 2020 due to the surge in COVID-19 cases at the time.