Lawmakers will begin to bid farewell on Monday to the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-G…

Lawmakers will begin to bid farewell on Monday to the late civil rights icon Rep. John LewisJohn LewisBiden to pay tribute to Lewis at Capitol on MondayJohn Lewis carried across Edmund Pettus Bridge for last time John Lewis’s 7-year-old great nephew calls the civil rights icon ‘my hero’MORE (D-Ga.) by granting him the rare honor of lying in state in the Capitol. 
The solemn remembrance of one of the most revered members of Congress will offer a brief reprieve from a recent series of markedly tense days on Capitol Hill, with Democrats calling foul after a GOP lawmaker used a sexist slur against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezThe indomitable AOCYoho resigns from board of Christian organization following confrontation with Ocasio-CortezDemocrats hope clash resonates with key bloc: WomenMORE (D-N.Y.) and slow progress on a coronavirus relief package when financial aid is already expiring for millions of people.
Its so interesting that he left us at this time, said Rep. Robin KellyRobin Lynne KellyIntelligence community rolls out guidelines for ethical use of artificial intelligenceBlack Caucus unveils next steps to combat racismDemocrats blast CDC report on minorities and COVID-19MORE (D-Ill.), who served with Lewis in the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Its almost like a reminder. You know, were giving this man so many accolades while we need to walk his talk, like he did.
He was so patient and gracious and forgiving. And we need to be a little more like that, said Kelly, who sported a mask emblazoned with Lewiss motto of good trouble.
The opportunity for members of the public to pay their respects will be significantly different from previous ceremonies to honor other figures who have laid in state. Lewiss casket will be displayed outdoors on the top of the steps on the east side of the Capitol so that people can walk past on the plaza while adhering to health guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The announcement from Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiWhite House, Senate GOP race to finalize coronavirus package ahead of Monday rolloutCongress set for messy COVID-19 talks on tight deadlineSunday shows – Coronavirus relief, stimulus talks dominateMORE (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellWhite House, Senate GOP race to finalize coronavirus package ahead of Monday rolloutCongress set for messy COVID-19 talks on tight deadlineAFSCME launches ad calling for trillion in relief aid for local governmentsMORE (R-Ky.) said that masks will be required to enter the line on the plaza and social distancing will be strictly enforced.
An arrival ceremony will be held early Monday afternoon around 1:30 p.m., at which point Lewis will begin to lie in state in the Capitol rotunda. The outdoor public viewing will begin at 6 p.m. and last through 10 p.m., and resume for another day on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Anyone wishing to pay their respects in the outdoor viewing line on either day will face peak Washington summer weather, with highs expected near 100 degrees Fahrenheit and a chance of thunderstorms. 
The two most recent people to receive the honor of lying in state were the late Rep. Elijah CummingsElijah Eugene CummingsWe have 100 days to make our nation rightThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Trump pivots on convention; GOP punts on virus billThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Divided GOP to unveil COVID-19 billMORE (D-Md.) last October and Sen. John McCainJohn Sidney McCainHarris seen as Biden VP favorite as clock ticksPompeo’s China speech at odds with Trump’s ‘America First’ foreign policyThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Trump pivots on convention; GOP punts on virus billMORE (R-Ariz.) in August 2018. In both cases, there were people who traveled long distances to Washington and waited in line for hours to pay their respects.
This time, the Lewis family is advising against anyone traveling from outside the Washington area to come to the Capitol given the pandemic.
House Majority Leader Steny HoyerSteny Hamilton HoyerWhite House, Senate GOP race to finalize coronavirus package ahead of Monday rolloutMnuchin, Meadows make rare weekend trip to Capitol as GOP prepares coronavirus packagePelosi, McConnell announce John Lewis will lie in State MORE (D-Md.) nonetheless predicted that thousands will come to pay their respects.
He will be honored by thousands who will walk by the Capitol and his casket. And that will be right, Hoyer said in a House floor speech on Friday.
Maintenance workers were already making preparations in the Capitol rotunda on Friday ahead of the ceremonies. Chairs for the invitation-only arrival ceremony were spaced six feet apart and black drapes hung from each of the entrances to the rotunda.
The catafalque on which Lewiss casket will rest holds special significance. The raised platform draped in black was first used in 1865 while former President Abraham Lincoln laid in state in the Capitol.
And 155 years later, it will be used to support the casket of a key figure in the civil rights movement who participated in sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington and the infamous Bloody Sunday march in Selma, Ala.
Lying in state in the Capitol will be just one stop as part of the nearly weeklong series of ceremonies to commemorate Lewiss life.
On Sunday, Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma one last time with a procession along the route he and other civil rights marchers had originally planned from there to Montgomery in 1965 on what became Bloody Sunday.”
Lewis had suffered a skull fracture during the clash with state troopers. But the public outrage over the violence faced by Lewis and others at the scene ultimately led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act later that year.
Rep. Andre CarsonAndré CarsonPelosi’s whiplash moment brings praise and criticismAdam Schiff’s star rises with impeachment hearingsLive coverage: Schiff closes with speech highlighting claims of Trump’s corruptionMORE (D-Ind.) recalled how, during the fight over passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, he had been walking with Lewis when they faced protesters who hurled racial epithets at them.
Carson was inclined to fight back, but Lewis tried to keep it in perspective with what he faced during the civil rights movement.
While my impulse was to probably respond and get baited into a discussion, he kept walking very calmly, very Zen-like to votes. And so that helped guide me and my usual inclination to go to war, Carson said.
A remarkable human being. I’m going to miss him, he said.