Public barred from Capitol Hill until April 1

The general public will be barred from Capitol Hill until April 1, officials announced Thursday in official Washington's most emphatic reaction yet to the spreading coronavirus.

The lockout will start at 5 p.m. After that, only senators and House members, their aides and a limited number of others on official business will be admitted to the Capitol and the six congressional office buildings.

Congress is already scheduled to be in recess next week, so the partial 18-day shutdown of the Capitol complex will have limited impact. House and Senate leaders...