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Charlotte Petersen, 1, toddles to her father, Billy Petersen, of Falls Church, Va., next to her mother Heather, as the family visits the cherry blossom trees in full bloom along the tidal basin, Sunday, March 22, 2020, in Washington. "We wanted to get some fresh air and a change of scenery," says Heather Petersen, "we figured if we came early and it wasn't crowded then we wouldn't be too on top of other people." Sections of the National Mall and tidal basin areas have been closed to vehicular traffic to encourage people to practice social distancing and not visit Washington's iconic cherry blossoms this year due to coronavirus concerns. The trees are in full bloom this week and would traditionally draw a large crowd. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Charlotte Petersen, 1, toddles to her father, Billy Petersen, of Falls Church, Va., next to her mother Heather, as the family visits the cherry blossom trees in full bloom along the tidal basin, Sunday, March 22, 2020, in Washington. "We wanted to get some fresh air and a change of scenery," says Heather Petersen, "we figured if we came early and it wasn't crowded then we wouldn't be too on top of other people." Sections of the National Mall and tidal bas…

March 22, 2020

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Nations's capital trying to keep crowds from cherry blossoms
March 22, 2020 8:02 p.m.

Nations's capital trying to keep crowds from cherry blossoms

WASHINGTON (AP) — As signature cherry blossom trees go through peak bloom in the nation's capital, officials in the District of Columbia are resorting to mass street closures to keep large crowds away in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.