Rockefeller Center Christmas tree viewing limited to 5 minutes

This year’s viewing of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be limited to just five minutes.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and the real estate company that owns Rockefeller Center, Tishman Speyer, on Monday released new coronavirus-friendly guidelines for visitors, which included the limit on viewing time, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Those who hope to get a glimpse of the tree this year will be required to do so while spaced 6 feet apart and stationed at designated viewing pods. Each pod will hold a maximum of four people.

While the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony usually draws a large crowd, residents are being asked this year to view it on NBC on Wednesday, the Journal noted.

“That’s the best way to see it, to feel that moment,” de Blasio said

Visitors will be able to view the tree in person starting Thursday. The tree will be lighted from 6 a.m. to midnight daily through the beginning of January.

The tree, which some Twitter users have compared to the small, unattractive tree in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” has already generated headlines this year after an owl was discovered living in it last month. The bird was later rescued from the tree and released back into the wild.