Washington, May 22 (IANS): The Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington D.C. has reopened at 20 per cent of its full capacity.

The zoo closed in March 2020 and reopened in July, then shut down again in November due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Today is a great day for the national zoo because our mission is about inspiring the public to care about wildlife," said Steve Monfort, director of the zoo in an interview with Xinhua news agency on Friday morning.

He said the zoo is "very, very fortunate" since its staff have stayed safe and no animals in were infected by the coronavirus.

Two giant lion statues guarding the zoo's entrance still sport colourful face masks and visitors aged two and older are also required to wear a face mask in the zoo.

The number of free timed-entry passes is limited, down from some 20,000 pre-pandemic to less than 6,000 per day.

Furthermore, due to the highest popularity of giant pandas, separate timed passes are needed to see them.

Founded in 1889, Smithsonian's National Zoo is one of the oldest in the country.