COVID

Boston Children’s Museum voluntarily shutters through January amid coronavirus surge

Museum officials said the closure will take effect Monday with plans to reopen by Jan. 7.

By Ainslie Cromar

December 13, 2020

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The Boston Children’s Museum announced Sunday that it will voluntarily close its doors to the public until early January to keep staff and visitors safe while the Commonwealth faces a resurgence of COVID-19 cases around the region. 

Museum officials said the closure will take effect Monday and reopen by Jan. 7.  

“While disheartening during this time when the Museum normally welcomes thousands of children to enjoy festive exhibits and programs, we are confident that this step is in the best interest of our staff and visitors,” museum president and chief executive Carole Charnow said in a statement Sunday. 

(1/6) In response to the current resurgence in COVID-19 cases in MA and to ensure the continued wellbeing of its relatively small staff along with the continued safety of visitors during the holidays, Boston Children’s Museum will voluntarily close to the public through 1/7. pic.twitter.com/Y4LPBnZHCu

— Boston Children’s Museum (@BosChildMuseum) December 13, 2020

Officials noted that since reopening in July, they have not reported any COVID-19 transmission connected to the museum, but decided to take this precaution in hopes of keeping staff and would-be visitors safer.

Some staff members will still while work socially-distanced inside the building, but with the short-term closure, most will work remotely from home on virtual programming, grant-based projects, and community endeavors.

All advance ticket purchases affected by the temporary closure will also be refunded, the museum stated. 

The Children’s Museum announcement comes on the first day of the rollback in the state’s reopening phases after Governor Charlie Baker announced the change Tuesday. Under the updated guidelines, certain businesses such as restaurants, gyms, and museums are required to reduce their capacities from 50 to 40%. 

Massachusetts reported 4,677 new coronavirus cases and 41 new deaths Sunday. State officials also estimated that there are currently 70,651 active coronavirus cases.

On Monday the Institute of Contemporary Art also announced that it would preemptively and voluntarily close its doors indefinitely, despite any order from Baker requiring museums to fully shut down.