Washington DC bursts into color in the springtime as the city’s cherry blossom trees come into full bloom. The usual tourist buzz will be muted this year, however, as officials wary of coronavirus contagion urged the public to stay away.

Surrounded by yellow caution tape and police cruisers, the trees looked forlorn on Monday, striped the newly formed petals in the rain and chilly air.

This isn’t the usual setting for the annual bloom of Washington DC’s cherry blossoms, encompassing the Tidal Basin adjacent to the Potomac River. COVID-19 changed all of that. 

Visitors have flocked to the nation’s capital during the spring for more than a hundred years to see the small pink flowers temporarily take over some of the city’s most famous landmarks. 

More than three thousand cherry blossom trees attract at least a million people to experience the sweet fragrance and picturesque landscape the flowers create. 

For the first time since the trees took root along the Potomac in 1912, government officials have urged visitors to stay home and practice social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19. 

Local authorities temporarily closed the two nearest metro stops and suspended most of the already limited parking in the area. 

Despite these cautionary measures, droves of people carelessly flocked to the Tidal Basin this past weekend to embrace the start of spring. 

The number of coronavirus deaths and confirmed cases also grew in the metropolitan area over the weekend, prompting government officials to enforce a more drastic response than mere verbal warnings. 

DC’s Mayor, Muriel Bowser, mobilized the city’s police force to block off public access to the 106-acre Tidal Basin area in response to large crowds this past weekend. 

There is currently no time frame for the Tidal Basin to reopen and is expected to be blocked off for the remainder of the bloom. 

The US surpassed 55,000 confirmed coronavirus cases on Tuesday.

Photos by Sean Boyce