Park Service: Weeds poke through WWII Memorial amid decreased foot traffic

The National Park Service (NPS) on Thursday said it’s had to trim weeds growing through the plaza of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., due to a lack of foot traffic from visitors.

“Weeding day at the…World War II Memorial?!” the National Mall NPS service wrote on Twitter. “The significant decrease in visitor feet has led to a previously unseen sight — weeds and grass growing through the memorial plaza!”

The agency reassured social media users that the monuments are continually being maintained by staff “even during these unusual times.”

Weeding day at the…World War II Memorial?! The significant decrease in visitor feet has led to a previously unseen sight – weeds and grass growing through the memorial plaza! But maintenance of our nation’s sacred memorials continues, even during these unusual times. pic.twitter.com/8YfSaHbXJp

— National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) May 7, 2020

Typically 24 million visitors from around the world travel annually to the National Mall and Memorial Parks, which include over 1,000 acres of green space in the nation’s capital.

However, tourism has dropped due to international and domestic stay-at-home orders implemented during the coronavirus pandemic. 

NPS has modified its operations, closing several sites such as the Washington Monument and Ford’s Theatre.

The Mall, however, was flooded with people on Saturday when thousands gathered to watch the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s Thunderbirds performed a flyover to honor first responders on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Gathering in large, unmasked groups on the National Mall to watch military jets “honor” healthcare workers risking their lives to fight COVID-19 is like honoring firefighters by building bonfires in your living room.

This is why we can’t have nice things. pic.twitter.com/roCxUKEpXD

— Drew Gibson (@SuppressThis) May 2, 2020

Social media posts show large crowds gathered at the National Mall in Washington, DC, to view the flyover of the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds, despite a stay-at-home order. https://t.co/MJDJ4LGv8G pic.twitter.com/wG4WKrjOHM

— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) May 2, 2020

So far, 5,654 people in the District of Columbia have tested positive for coronavirus and 285 have died, according to data from the city’s health department.