House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday announced plans for Lewis' body to lie in state in the US Capitol Rotunda next week with an invitation-only arrival ceremony on Monday at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Lewis, a longtime US congressman from Georgia, died last Friday at age 80 after a six-month battle with cancer. His death sparked an outpouring of grief and tributes to his life and legacy across the country.

Lewis, the son of sharecroppers, survived a brutal beating by police during a landmark 1965 voting rights march in Selma, Alabama.

A follower and colleague of Martin Luther King Jr., he participated in lunch counter sit-ins, joined the Freedom Riders in challenging segregated buses and -- at the age of 23 -- was a keynote speaker at the historic 1963 March on Washington.

As a precaution due to the coronavirus pandemic, a public viewing will take place outdoors, with Lewis' body lying in state at the top of the East Front Steps of the Capitol. Members of the public will be able to pay their respects on Monday and Tuesday while following social-distancing and DC mask guidelines.

The public viewing line will start at 6 p.m. ET and go until 10 p.m. ET on Monday and from 8 a.m. ET until 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

A news release from Pelosi and McConnell announcing the plans stated that "the Lewis family will provide additional details regarding arrangements beyond the Capitol ceremony, including a procession through Washington, D.C., where members of the public will also be able to pay their respects in a socially-distant manner."

It also stated that "the family requests that members of the public do not travel to Washington, D.C. from across the country to pay their respects at the US Capitol," because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

CNN's Faith Karimi contributed to this report.

The post Body of civil rights icon John Lewis to lie in state at US Capitol appeared first on L.A. Focus Newspaper.

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