Virus resurgence closes US museums, National Zoo

The Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo and Museums have closed once again amid a resurgence of coronavirus cases in the Washington D.C. area.

All 19 Smithsonian institutions and the National Zoo closed on Saturday, March 14 as the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States.

In late July, the outdoor National Zoo reopened, and several Smithsonian museums joined the reopening in mid-September, with new health and safety measures in place to slow the spread of the virus.

James Imhof, a high school senior from Dallas, Texas, is visiting Washington D.C. this week with his mother Heidi to explore colleges, and was upset to see "closed" signs on the entrances of the popular tourist attractions.

"We're obviously both a little bummed out that we didn't get to go to the zoo and go to the other Smithsonian museums," Imhof said. "I kind of understand why just because I've been kind of tracking how COVID's been rising. So I kind of understand why they're starting to close things down... This Winter surge is kind of a wake-up call that... this is bigger than we think."

Right now the U.S. government is issuing emergency use authorizations for experimental drugs and vaccines to treat COVID-19 as the entire world braces for a dark winter.

The U.S. is now averaging more than 1,500 new deaths per day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. There have been close to 1.4 million confirmed deaths globally, and the U.S. has seen the most by far: almost 257,000.

In a statement about the closure, the Smithsonian Institution stressed that its top priority is to "protect the health and safety of its visitors and staff".

Stephanie Stebich, Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, supports the difficult decision to close and said museum staff enjoyed getting to serve patron's in-person for about two months.

"We have new safety precautions and protocols, and so in many ways, the museums that closed in early March will not be the museums that reopen," Stebich said. "We will have to be different in the way we operate. A good news piece of the story is we've all learned to speak digital, speak video, do more distance learning."

The Smithsonian Institution has continued to expand its online educational resources to help overworked teachers and parents looking for more materials for their students learning from home.

While donations of support have continued during the pandemic,

Stebich said they're also pushing to include museums and other cultural institutions in the next coronavirus stimulus package. Without additional assistance, Stebich said they are "well aware" that not every museum will make it through the pandemic.

"The Smithsonian museums are free. However, other museums rely very heavily on ticket revenue, let alone store revenue and other areas to support their operations," Stebich said. "You're seeing from the American Alliance of Museums that there's really significant loss on a monthly basis."

For now, the Smithsonian Institution is not announcing a reopening date as it continues to monitor the public health crisis and explore additional risk-mitigation measures.

"What the future holds, it is worrisome. It is worrisome. But we will be back. We will be ready to reopen our doors when it is determined it will be safe again," Stebich added.

(Image Credit: AP)