Memo: Senate building closed by anthrax to reopen Friday

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate office building that was shut down after an anthrax-laced letter was opened there is expected to reopen Friday, according to a memo obtained by CNN.

In advance of the opening, maintenance workers -- not clad in the hazardous material suits that have become the norm for people entering the building -- have begun readying the building for occupancy.

The building was closed October 17, two days after an anthrax-filled letter was opened in the office of Senate Majority Leader Tom Dashcle, D-South Dakota.

Anthrax spores spread to numerous locations throughout the building that houses the offices of 50 Senators and their staffs. The cleanup effort, spearheaded by the Enviromental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was difficult and lengthy.

"CDC and EPA have advised the Senate Sergeant at Arms and the Office of the Attending Physician that the cleanup achieved the goal of eliminating viable anthrax spores detected in the Hart Building, and that it is clean and safe to release to the Architect of the Capitol for rehabilitation and subsequent reooupancy," said the memo, which was distributed to all senators and Senate staffers.

Maintenance workers need to test fire alarms, elevators, and do general janitorial service before the building's expected noon reopening on Friday.