People pack into DC war memorials despite pandemic

Despite the risks surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, plenty of people still paid their respects to fallen soldiers by visiting war memorials in Washington DC during the holiday weekend.

Tourist destinations around the National Mall have stayed open since the public health crisis started, but the National Parks Service discouraged people from making a Memorial Day trip by offering online options for watching ceremonies.

To help keep in-person visitors safe, Mike Litterst with the National Parks service said they put one-way directional signs at each site to help direct traffic and encourage social distancing.

Litterst added that staff were monitoring the war memorials all weekend and have avoided using their power to temporarily close a site in order to disperse a large crowd.

While walking through the war memorials, Vietnam Veteran Fidel Rodriguez wore a face mask as an extra layer of protection although it was not a requirement in the outdoor public setting.

"Because you never know where they're coming from or what they're doing and so forth, so you've got to protect yourself," Rodriguez said. "So, there are rules and we must follow them, you know keep the distance from the people so and I think for the most part what I'm seeing is a lot of people doing that."

Elaina Loalbo drove in from New Jersey and was glad she could continue her 20 plus year tradition of visiting the National Mall during Memorial Day.

"It's really a neat experience being able to come down during a pandemic," Loalbo said. "And having a choice of whether I want to wear a mask or not. In New Jersey we still have to wear a mask every time we're in public."

Loalbo comes from a military family and carried the ashes of her father and a Rolling Thunder sign as she walked through the war memorials. She said parking was a breeze compared to last year and was expecting stricter enforcement during the pandemic.

"Police that I have interacted with have all been super friendly and just great," Loalbo said. "Unlike some interactions, we've had in the past when I've been here during Rolling Thunder where I've seen - people are high tension and not always in the best mood and don't always treat us great."

Vietnam Veteran Jud Starr was glad to see the National Mall remain open and accessible for the holiday and thinks if people can come together to support military families, they can unite to combat the coronavirus.

"The important thing right now is to think of all the names on that Vietnam War Memorial, we've exceeded that with the virus, and those are fallen heroes also," Starr said. "The divisions now in our country. The hope is that we'll get back together as we did after those divided times and find a common thread that holds us all together particularly as we face the threat of this virus."

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser recently announced that the nation's capital might pursue a staged reopening as early as May 29, barring any peaks in COVID-19 cases in the coming days.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.