Crowds gathered at National Mall to watch Blue Angels, Thunderbirds flyover

Minyvonne Burke
·1 min read

Crowds of people gathered at the National Mall in D.C. on Saturday to watch a Blue Angels and Thunderbirds flyover, with at least some at the scene appearing to ignore social distancing rules.

Photos, many of which were posted on social media, showed large crowds standing on the grass as they watched the event.

NBC News correspondent Leigh Ann Caldwell, who covered the flyover, tweeted that many people were not wearing masks.

"On the national mall covering the Blue angels and Thunderbird flyover and there are SOOO many people here. Not wearing masks. Not social distancing," she said.

U.S. Park Police could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday.

Image: National Mall social distancing violations (Patrick Semansky / AP)
Image: National Mall social distancing violations (Patrick Semansky / AP)

The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds performed flyovers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., on Saturday before the aircraft traveled to Atlanta, Georgia.

The flyovers have been in the works for a month and are a tribute to health care workers, first responders, military and other essential workers.

Flyovers on Tuesday in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania honored essential workers and first responders there.