By ASHRAF KHALIL and NATHAN ELLGREN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials in the nation’s capital are watching the crowds as cherry blossom season begins in earnest. The distinctive white and pink petals reached full bloom last Sunday, about a week earlier than expected. It’s an event that normally brings in thousands of visitors and signals the unofficial start of Washington, D.C.’s, peak tourist and convention season. But Washington remains largely locked down with limitations on outdoor gatherings and all Smithsonian museums, plus the zoo, shuttered because of the coronavirus. The National Park Service stands poised to limit access to the Tidal Basin and its high concentration of cherry blossom trees if the crowds there grow too thick.