Museums and other cultural institutions will be allowed to open in New York City beginning on August 24, said Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Friday, after five months of a closed pandemic that resulted in substantial layoffs and financial crisis for many of these organizations.
The announcement came as the state saw less than 1 percent of all coronavirus tests return positive seven days, Mr Cuomo said at a news conference. Mr Cuomo surprised administrators by announcing last month that museums were not allowed to open during Phase 4, which began on July 20.
The plans to lift the lockdown on cultural institutions come with some significant restrictions on the reintroduction of visitors. Institutions will be required to keep the buildings at 25 percent occupancy and use a timed ticketing system, allowing museums to carefully control how many people enter at one time.
The state will also require museums to control the flow of traffic through their buildings, and face covering will be mandatory. The directive does not allow theaters and other venues to perform.
For months, museum officials have made their case to the Cuomo administration so that its institutions can provide a safe experience for visitors.
‘I’m running in the air! ‘Adam D. Weinberg, the director of the Whitney Museum of American Art, said after the announcement. “We’ve been waiting for weeks with frightened breath.”
The Whitney plans to close on Sept. 3. To open, though members would be able to go from August 27 to August 31. Mr Weinberg said visitors would all have taken their temperature at the start of their visits and that museum guards would help maintain social distance.
Keeping the Whitney at 25 percent capacity will mean about 500 visitors allowed at a time.
Museum officials have already begun manufacturing limited capacity constraints in their plans for the fall. This month, the Metropolitan Museum of Art fired 79 staff members and furloughed many more in anticipation that they would not be allowed to welcome as many visitors as they did before the pandemic struck. The Met is set for its previously announced opening date of August 29; the Met Cloisters will open on September 12th.
Other revival dates for city museums are slipping out. The Museum of Modern Art plans to open on August 27, with free admission for the first month, a spokeswoman said. The Museum of the City of New York intends to open the same day. The American Museum of Natural History follows with its plans open Sept. 2 to members and Sept. 9 to the general public.
In April, a task force of more than 20 museums, of various sizes and in all five districts, was assembled to develop guidelines for institutions to follow, once they were allowed to re-permit.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Updated August 12, 2020
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Can I travel in the United States?
- Many states have travel restrictions, and many of them are taking active measures to enforce those restrictions, such as issuing fines or requiring visitors to be quarantined for 14 days. Here is an ever-updating list of restrictions across statewide. In general, travel increases your chances of getting and spreading the virus, because you will encounter more people than if you stayed at home in your own ‘pod’. “Staying at home is the best way to protect yourself and others from Covid-19,” the CDC said. However, if you are traveling, take precautionary measures. If you can, drive. If you have to fly, be careful when choosing your airline. But know that airlines are taking real steps to keep planes clean and limit your risk.
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I have antibodies. Am I immune now?
- At the moment, that probably seems like at least several months. There have been horrific accounts of people suffering from what appears to be a second bolt of Covid-19. But experts say these patients may have a prolonged course of infection, with the virus taking a slow toll weeks to months after initial exposure. People infected with the coronavirus typically produce immune molecules called antibodies, which are protective proteins made in response to an infection. These antibodies may last only two to three months in the body, which may seem worrying, but that is perfectly normal after an acute infection progresses, said Dr. Michael Mina, an immunologist at Harvard University. It could possibly get the coronavirus back up, but it is highly unlikely that it would be possible in a short window of time from initial infection or the second time safe.
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I am a small business owner. Can I get relief?
- The incentive bills introduced in March provide assistance to the millions of American small businesses. Those eligible for support are non-profit organizations and organizations with less than 500 workers, including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and freelancers. Some larger companies in some sectors are also eligible. The assistance provided, which is managed by the Small Business Administration, includes the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Damage Disaster Program. But many people have not seen payments yet. Even those who have received help are confused: the rules are draconian, and some are stuck on money they do not know how to use. Many small business owners get less than they expected or heard nothing at all.
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What are my rights if I am worried about returning to work?
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What will school look like in September?
- It is unlikely that many schools will return to a regular schedule this fall, requiring the grinding of online learning, easy childcare and stunted workdays to continue. The two largest public school districts of California – Los Angeles and San Diego – said on July 13 that instruction will be remote only in the fall, citing concerns that growing coronavirus infections in their areas pose too great a risk to students and teachers. Together, the two districts enroll about 825,000 students. They are the largest in the country to date to abandon plans for even a partial physical return to classes when they reopen in August. For other districts, the solution will not be an all-or-nothing approach. Many systems, including the nation’s largest, New York City, are creating hybrid plans that include some days in classrooms and other days online. There is no national policy yet, so check regularly with your municipal school system to see what is happening in your municipality.
Suggestions include removing some furniture to maximize floor space where visitors can stand and “a number of on-site training and orientation days” to ensure staff members are fully informed about how to prevent the spread of the virus. and what the procedure is would be for an employee who feels sick. They encourage “de-escalation training”, tactics that staff members had to employ in retail stores when customers objected to wearing a mask or even becoming violent.
Whitney Donhauser, the director of the Museum of the City of New York, said the museum has been functionally ready to reopen since July, before Mr. Cuomo changed course. She said the museum will only allow two people in an elevator at a time and has placed decals on the floor that show how far apart visitors should be. The museum had already updated its air filtration system in recent years.
“We are ready to open now,” she said. “It’s just a question of making sure staff are trained and ready to go.”
Michael Gold carried report.
