Pelosi, McConnell announce John Lewis will lie in State

The body of the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced Thursday.

An invitation-only arrival ceremony for the late congressman and civil rights leader will take place Monday at 1:30 p.m., and the public will be allowed to pay their respects Monday and Tuesday, according to congressional leaders. Lewis will lie in state at the top of the Capitol’s East Front Steps during the public viewing.

Anyone wishing to pay their respects will be required to wear masks in compliance with an order issued by Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), while social distancing will be “strictly enforced” according to the announcement.

Lewis’s family has asked those wishing to pay their respects not to travel across the country, citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“Virtual tributes may be posted online using the hashtags #BelovedCommunity or #HumanDignity,” Pelosi and McConnell’s offices said in a joint statement.

Congressional leaders had earlier been unsure of the logistics of allowing Lewis to lie in state due to the pandemic. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Monday that the congressman “certainly” should lie in state.

“If anybody deserves to lie in state here at the Capitol, it’s John,” Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said Monday. “Not only was he the conscience of the Congress, but he also brought nobility to the position. People like him are irreplaceable.”

Lewis’s family has delayed memorial service plans to allow for the burial of his fellow civil rights icon, the Rev. C.T. Vivian. Vivian died Friday, the same day as Lewis.