Change To Level Clear Is 'Exciting For Everybody' At Denver Museum Of Nature And Science
DENVER (CBS4) - For the first time since the pandemic started, it will be up to many Colorado businesses to choose and enforce what precautions they want customers to take. It's confusing for some businesses as well as families.
"It's been very difficult for us just because we have three kiddos, we were very busy all the time," Leslie Neely, a mom in southeast Denver, said.
Neely's son loves dinosaurs, and yet for much of the last year he was unable to see the prehistoric exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
"We'd go at least once a week, between the children's museum and Denver Nature & Science," she explained.
Nearly everywhere the Neelsy had memberships shut down and then re-opened to limited capacity. Then, this April, she finally took her son to DMNS to see the dinosaurs again.
"What are they doing? What are these mama?" her son, Gannon asked on a video she captured at the visit.
Gannon was especially excited after having waited several months.
But even with level clear, you may not notice drastic changes at the museum.
"So the guidance now says that all people over the age of 11 who haven't been vaccinated are encouraged to wear a mask, so that's what our rules are going to change to," Ed Scholz, VP of Finance and Business Operations, said.
However, the key change is fully vaccinated people don't have to wear a mask. It will work on an honor system because museum staff don't feel they can require people to prove it.
"I think it's exciting for everybody, the staff, the guests, everybody is ready to move back into something that feels a little more normal, but we're still going to take our time," Scholz said.
There's also a time entry reservation system that will be in effect, along with operating at half capacity.
As for the Neelys, they'll still keep masks on and take their own precautions, even if it is level clear.
"With kids not being able to be vaccinated, you know with germs in general, just to be safe," Neely added.
Other public institutions such as the Denver Zoo told CBS4 there will be no major changes yet, though guests there can take off their masks outside.