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White House Reopens to Tourists VOA News 16 Feb 2002 06:51 UTC 
The White House re-opened its doors to tourists Friday for the first time since last September's terrorist attacks.
First Lady Laura Bush was on hand to greet the nearly 100 school children from Midwest state of Illinois and the capital, Washington, who were among the first in line to tour the president's home.
The White House is allowing only students and chaperones to take tours, requiring them to submit requests through their representatives in Congress and submit to security background checks. Officials say they can accomodate up to 800 students a day.
Mrs. Bush said she believes the White House some day will return to the old system, which allowed more than a million visitors a year to tour the mansion. But she acknowledged that may take some time.
Some information for this report provided by Reuters.
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