Message from the Secretary: The Zoo and the Udvar-Hazy Center will reopen to the public on Friday
Dear Colleagues,
Many of you have been working tirelessly toward this day, and I am very pleased to announce that the National Zoo and the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, will reopen to the public this Friday, July 24, with new health and safety measures in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The opening of the Zoo and the Udvar-Hazy Center marks the beginning of our phased reopening strategy. These first two locations were chosen based on factors such as the ability to facilitate crowd management and social distancing; the ability to maintain a hygienic environment; and the availability of parking at both locations. We also investigated where risk mitigation for staff and public-facing functions would be most effective. As we have seen, areas that reopened too quickly or with too few precautions have seen an upsurge in coronavirus infections. Our phased approach allows us to pivot quickly and reassess should circumstances warrant.
This limited reopening will provide an opportunity to improve the new processes and learn from the visitor experience, with the goal of opening additional museums in the upcoming months and when it is safe to do so. Initially, some amenities may remain closed or be unavailable. On-site public tours and events are temporarily suspended. Some exhibits, interactives, rides, demonstrations, theaters or indoor spaces may be closed or operate at limited capacity, including some indoor spaces and access to artifacts at the Udvar-Hazy Center due to a previously planned roof-reconstruction project. Detailed information is available on the National Zoo’s website and the National Air and Space Museum’s website.
As always, the health and safety of our staff and visitors, as well as the Zoo’s animals and living collections, is our paramount concern. We have implemented new procedures for visitors based on science and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other sources. Among these are:
- Requesting that all visitors who are sick or do not feel well stay home.
- Requiring that visitors ages six and older wear face coverings during their visit—inside the Udvar-Hazy Center and Zoo buildings, as well as in Zoo outdoor spaces. Face coverings also are strongly recommended for visitors between the ages of two and six, per CDC guidelines.
- Limiting the number of people in each facility by requiring all visitors to obtain a free timed-entry pass in advance of their visit. Beginning today, visitors can reserve passes online at edu/tickets or by phone at 1-800-514-3849, ext. 1. We will release 5,000 timed passes per day for the Zoo and about 1,500 passes per day for the Udvar-Hazy Center.
- Implementing safe social distancing, including some one-way paths and directional guidance where appropriate.
- Providing hand sanitizing stations for visitors and conducting enhanced cleaning throughout both facilities.
Adjusting to our “new normal” has been challenging, but it is exciting that we are now at the “beginning of the beginning” of our efforts to bring the Smithsonian and all it has to offer back to the public—both in online exploration and as a physical adventure.
The entire Smithsonian community has my continued gratitude for your patience and dedication, but we owe special thanks to the Reopening Task Force, the New Normal Committee, the COVID-19 Response Team, and the staff of the Zoo and the Air and Space Museum who have worked so hard to reach this point.
Regards,
Lonnie G. Bunch
Secretary
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Posted: 20 July 2020
