Planning for Reopening

Dear Colleagues,

As I mentioned last week, the Smithsonian is actively planning for the time when this health crisis is behind us and we can begin returning to work. Our New Normal team and Reopening Task Force are working together with the COVID-19 Response team to identify the best and safest ways to ease back to a more typical Smithsonian workplace.

We are basing our reopening strategy on two separate plans, Guidelines for Opening Up America Again, the White House’s and CDC’s three-phased approach based on public health and scientific indicators, and Public Health Principles for a Phased Reopening During COVID-19: Guidance for Governors, published by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, that specifically discusses museums and other facilities and events common to the Smithsonian.

While we all hope to return to normal as quickly as possible, it is important to remember that the goal is to move from “stay at home” to “safe at work.” These plans have defined phases and steps to help us open our doors to our staff, and eventually the public, in a way that reduces risk and protects our most vulnerable employees and visitors while also helping move us towards our vision of engaging and inspiring the public.

Both plans feature clear indicators and criteria for when it would be safe to begin bringing employees back and opening our doors. The phased approach we will follow is based on public health data in the localities where we work.

Our Reopening Task Force and New Normal Team are busy planning for that future. We are in the process of developing a website that will communicate all of our plans and procedures as they are finalized that we hope to launch within the next week.

While we are hopeful that we will be able to move steadily forward, there may be instances in our individual communities when we will need to step back or pause due to the reoccurrence of the virus. The planning teams are aware of this possibility and will work to reduce any uncertainty where possible. As planning continues, we will provide details of phases through our weekly communications and the new website.

The Smithsonian Community is making history as we move through uncharted waters to solve new problems and identify new opportunities. We are so glad to have you on this journey.

Sincerely,

Lonnie G. Bunch III
Secretary

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