American Museum of Natural History Shares their Reopening Plans – Pending State Approval
As with so many of NYC’s other museums and cultural institutions, the American Museum of Natural History‘s been closed to the public since March 2020. Yet, today we received an announcement about their reopening plans for the first week of September. That is, if the State has approved the reopening of such locations.
Just in case you’re unfamiliar, NYC entered Phase 4 Reopening Status on July 20 yet New York Governor Cuomo did not give the okay for such institutions to open. Out of great concern for the city’s safety, despite its excellent health metrics, Mr. Cuomo decided we weren’t ready just yet.
Regardless, the Museum sent this notice out as part of their latest newsletter. Here below is how the email read out:
We’re excited to let you know that we’re preparing to welcome back visitors, beginning with Museum Members and invited guests on Wednesday, September 2, and the general public on Wednesday, September 9, pending approval from New York State and New York City for indoor museums to reopen.
With the health and safety of our staff and visitors as a top priority, we are making some important updates. We’ll be reopening with new operating days and hours, a new ticketing policy, and new health and safety measures, including new ticketing reservation requirements.
We’ll also be reopening with special access for Museum Members–including exclusive morning hours on Saturdays and Sundays, exclusive evening access on Thursdays, and parking benefits.
New operating procedures:
- Opening to the public 5 days a week, Wednesday—Sunday, from 10 am–5:30 pm
- Requiring timed-entry tickets, reserved in advance online at amnh.org or on the Museum’s Explorer app, to limit attendance levels. Last entry will be at 4:30 pm. Ticket reservations will be available once the Museum is authorized to reopen.
New regional ticketing:
- A pay-what-you-wish option for General Admission for residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, validated by showing ID at a Museum ticket counter, preserving the Museum’s current suggested admission policy for residents of the tri-state area
- A fixed admission fee for visitors outside of the tri-state area
At reopening, visitors can enjoy:
- Most permanent halls, including those with Museum icons, including the Blue Whale in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life and the Titanosaur and T. rex in the fourth-floor fossil halls
- Two special exhibitions: The Nature of Color and T. rex: The Ultimate Predator (free for Members)
To maintain health and safety, some halls with a high proportion of touchable specimens and interactives will be temporarily unavailable, as will theaters, including the Hayden Planetarium Space Theater, and some facilities and amenities.
What we’re doing to help keep you safe:
- Limiting attendance in the building to 25% of normal visitation at the time of reopening to allow ample room for physical distancing
- Requiring facial coverings for all staff and visitors ages 2 and up
- Requiring self-screening, including daily temperature checks for staff
- Implementing enhanced cleaning procedures
- Adding plexiglass barriers at ticket counters
- Upgrading ventilation systems
- Limiting elevator and restroom capacity to maintain physical distancing
- Turning off, or cordoning off, interactive displays and other touchable exhibition elements
- Providing hand sanitizer throughout the building
- Keeping certain visitor amenities closed for the immediate future, including food service, onsite public programs, coat and bag check, and water fountains
