SAN FRANCISCO — The National Park Service (NPS) announced on Tuesday, March 9 that Alcatraz Island will reopen for the first time since December 2020 on Monday, March 15.
In a news release, the NPS stated what will open to visitors in Alcatraz Island:
- Ferries, which will “operate with a reduced capacity to support visitor and staff safety and proper social distancing.”
- Outdoor areas, which includes “Eagle Plaza, Sally Port, Recreation Yard and historic gardens.”
- The “interior of the Cell House will be limited to visitors who sign up for the Cell House Audio Tour.”
- The New Industries Building, which “will feature the exhibit, Red Power on Alcatraz: Perspectives 50 years later.” It “recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Alcatraz Occupation by Indians of All Tribes, a key event in the Native American civil rights movement.”
- China Alley and lower Building 64 will open to the public.
Laura E. Joss, General Superintendent of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, said it is a “pleasure to begin welcoming visitors back to Alcatraz Island” and “we have been working closely with our public health partners to align our operations with local guidance and provide access to the island for the first time this year,” she stated in the news release.
The reopening of Alcatraz Island comes more than three months after the NPS announced on December 6, 2020 that Alcatraz Island, along with Fort Point National Historic Site, would close “as a result of changes to public health guidance,” in a December 6 tweet.
Face masks are required and eating is prohibited at Alcatraz Island.
