September 04, 2020
M. Fischetti/VISIT PHILADELPHIA
The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall will reopen to visitors Wednesday after being closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Independence National Historical Park is reopening many of its most popular sites after limiting access for months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Liberty Bell Center, Independence Hall and Independence Visitor Center will reopen Wednesday, the National Parks Service announced. So will Old City Hall, Second Bank Portrait Gallery, Friends Quaker Meeting House and the Merchant's Exchange Building.
Congress Hall will open in mid-October upon the completion of an ongoing renovation project.
The park is reopening in accordance with health and safety guidelines from the City of Philadelphia, the White House and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The park has modified tours to meet the city's COVID-19 gathering limits and installed physical markers to promote social distancing between people. Clear, protective shields have been added at public contact stations.
Park staffers are examining each facility's function and service to ensure operations comply with public health guidelines.
Several indoor facilities will remain closed: the Great Essentials Exhibit in the West Wing of Independence Hall, the Benjamin Franklin Museum and Print Shop, the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial, and the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site.
Outdoors spaces, including Independence Mall and Washington Square, remain open.
The National Park Service is reopening of its 419 national parks on a park-by-park basis.
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