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Ohio zoos, aquariums, museums allowed to reopen June 10

Posted at 4:34 PM, Jun 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-05 12:34:11-04

The Cincinnati Zoo will reopen June 10 alongside dozens of other entertainment venues in Ohio, including indoor movie theaters, aquariums, ice-skating rinks and museums.

Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday afternoon that these businesses and others will be allowed to welcome visitors on that date as long as they can follow the state’s retail, consumer, service and entertainment guidelines to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

“We’re thrilled to be able to welcome visitors back,” Cincinnati Zoo director Thane Maynard said in a news release. “They have missed this place, and we have missed them. Fiona is ready to greet her adoring fans.”

The zoo, which has been closed since March 15, will reopen with a reservation system in place June 10. Only members will be allowed to reserve tickets, and the zoo will generally be limited to a maximum of 50% normal capacity. Non-members will be allowed to return later as part of a phased reopening plan.

Zoo employees will wear masks, according to the release, and visitors will be encouraged to do the same. Some indoor habitats, such as the reptile and insect exhibits, will reopen later.

The Cincinnati Museum Center and the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, both located at Union Terminal, will reopen June 17 with new social distancing measures in place. Both museums will be cleaned repeatedly throughout the day, and tickets will be timed to control the number of people in the space at once.

"Given the high touch nature of some of CMC’s exhibits, certain areas will be offline upon reopening but CMC is working on adapting other interactive elements for guests’ personal mobile devices," a CMC spokesperson wrote in the announcement.

The Contemporary Arts Center, the , the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and the Taft Museum of Art announced plans for a "phased reopening" with varying dates and hours outlined by each organization on its website.

The reopenings will begin "mid-June," according to the release.

The full list of facilities allowed to reopen June 10 is as follows:

  • Aquariums
  • Art galleries
  • Country clubs
  • Ice skating rinks
  • Indoor family entertainment centers
  • Indoor sports facilities
  • Laser tag facilities
  • Movie theaters (indoor)
  • Museums
  • Playgrounds (outdoor)
  • Public recreation centers
  • Roller skating rinks
  • Social clubs
  • Trampoline parks
  • Zoos