Capitol Hill’s famous cherry blossoms have lured cautious crowds out of their self-isolation to enjoy the early bloom, in spite of warnings from officials to practice social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Some visitors came from across the country to catch the beautiful sight where the pink and white flowers bloom for just a few days on the Tidal Basin.
‘I wanted to see the blossoms, but I was also going crazy,’ teacher Amanda Maurer, 24, of Baltimore, said to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. ‘I needed something to do.’
Capitol Hill’s famous cherry blossoms has lured cautious crowds out of their self-isolation to enjoy the early bloom. Families pictured above playing and enjoying the spring bloom and sunshine despite warnings from officials to stay at home
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and warnings by officials to stay at home and practice social distancing, the flowering cherry trees in Washington D.C. have still managed to coax tourists and locals out of their homes
Charlotte Petersen, one, toddles to her father, Billy Petersen, of Falls Church, Virginia, next to her mother Heather, as the family visits the cherry blossom trees in full bloom along the tidal basin on Sunday
A family from Washington pictured taking photographs in the cherry blossoms for their daughter’s quinceañera, or 15th birthday celebration, on Sunday
The quinceañera photoshoot on Sunday pictured reflected in the water
An aerial view of the cherry blossom trees on the National Mall pictured above
This year’s annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, slated for March 20 through April 12, was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. Each year the festival draws out about 1.5million attendees.
But walkers, runners, bikers, families with young kids, and flower lovers alike were all coaxed outdoors to take in the spring-time sight.
‘This is definitely a pullback from previous years,’ Mike Torner of Arlington, Virginia said on this year’s blossom-spectator turn out.
Many of the people who were spotted milling about and taking photos of the flowers were seen wearing face masks to protect themselves from the contagious outbreak.
‘We come every year We knew it probably would not be as crowded this year. We told the kids, “We’re going to stay together. Don’t touch anything,”‘ Kari Bennion, 42, of Ashburn, Virginia said to the Washington Post as she walked through the trees with her husband and three kids.
‘This has become like Times Square in New Year’s Eve,’ Hamilton Loving, 71, who was with his wife, Judy, 65, said.
On Saturday the unexpected crowds led officials to urge the public to refrain from visiting the cherry blossoms
‘People from all over the world come here. You see people from China, Japan, Australia. … You can really tell what a global phenomenon this virus is, how it’s just really stopped everything in its tracks,’ he added.
A total of 3,000 Yoshino cherry trees were gifted in 1912 from the people of Japan to the United States to mark the friendship between the two countries. The first two saplings were planted by the wife of Chinese ambassador with First Lady Helen Herron Taft, according to the National Parks Service.
For those who don’t want to venture out of their homes, the blossoms can be seen on the National Mall’s BloomCam.
A lone man skateboards under cherry blossom trees in bloom at the tidal basin on Sunday
Some flower-admirers maintained social distancing and took walks separate from others in the park
Some visitors were seen sporting masks as they walked around the park to watch the trees bloom
Parking spaces around the National Mall were closed to vehicular traffic in an effort to prevent crowds from visiting the cherry blossom trees on Sunday
Flower-lovers pictured at sunrise snapping the cherry blossoms on the National Mall early Sunday
Bikers, walkers and photographers were all caught on the National Mall’s BloomCam on Sunday enjoying the spring bloom
The spring bloom also drew crowds out of self-isolation in Tokyo, Japan, where there has been over 1,000 cases of the killer virus and 35 deaths. So far 232 people have recovered from the virus in Japan.
Anticipating the crowds, the National Parks Service issued a statement to the public in Washington DC.
‘It is impractical to close the Tidal Basin and it will remain open. Although the crowds are significantly smaller than in previous years, the more visitors who are at the Tidal Basin, the greater the challenge will become to maintain appropriate distance between themselves and others.’
However, the crowds became to great and the contact between passerby too close, leading officials to urge the public to refrain from coming out to see the bloom and close roads to vehicular traffic.
‘As crowds increase at the Tidal Basin, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain effective social distancing and keep an appropriate space from other visitors. We strongly urge anyone considering a visit to see the cherry blossoms to reconsider and to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases.’
As a result traffic control measures were deployed and all parking lots to the park were closed.