Denver Zoo, Denver Museum Of Nature And Science Prepare Reopen Plans After Stay-At-Home Order Lifted
DENVER (CBS4) - Cultural institutions like the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science plan to reopen in the months ahead as the stay-at-home order changes and the state re-opens. The coronavirus pandemic forced both to close when Gov. Jared Polis ordered all non-essential establishments to turn the public away, an essential source in revenue for both to fund the work they do all year.
"We are looking at a lot of different types of scenarios as you can imagine," said Serena Bruzgo, the vice president of development and marketing for the museum. "It might mean reduced capacity, it might mean using outdoor spaces differently, we're evaluating all of those options right now."
Bruzgo said keeping their virtual experience current and positioning the museum to be a safe place when the public returns are their two priorities. They continue to update the content for educators and families on their website. Part of the plan to return to a limited opening includes reviewing their cleaning protocol.
"It's those places where people would normally gather, that's where we have to keep our eyes on that process," said Bert Vescolani, president & CEO of the Denver Zoo. "Viewing areas, demonstration areas will close at first and kind of change the way we do our animal encounter experiences."
The zoo had some experience with social distancing in the final days before it closed. The lessons learned from that time inform the plan developing for their open later this year. Moving forward the introduction of face masks and temperature checks will be a new responsibility. Vescolani says that could be as soon as the end of May or early June.
The 80-acre campus should allow guests to spread out and keep their distance but attendance may need to be capped at 5,000 to 7,000 visitors. The number of guests the zoo can typically host in the summer can reach 12,000 on some days. Hours could be extended in the evening to help get more people in while limiting the total number inside the grounds.
"As international facilities open and we watch and listen to them, reach out to our colleagues around the country. Who are maybe opening a little bit before us or closed a little bit after us," he told CBS4 in a video conference call.
The museum said it will follow CDC and CDPHE guidelines to inform its opening but estimates it will not be in April. Beyond this month, leaders have not identified a date and what the attendance could safely be in their space.
"We are in constant communication with other arts and culture venues, really looking at how we re-open to the world together as a unified offering to our community," she told CBS4 in another video conference call.
These two neighbors in City Park are both recipients of funding from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, which will likely decreases as revenue from the SCFD goes down because people are spending less and stay home. Both organizations continue to create content for visitors to enjoy virtually and keep up with essential work behind the scenes. The museum and zoo have both been in Denver for more than 100 years. They say that history is built on support during hard times, a connection that remains as they prepare to get past the coronavirus outbreak.
"We miss you just as much as you might miss your museum right now. We all miss you," Bruzgo said. "We've weathered a lot of storms in the 120 years that we've been accessible to the community. And it's only because of you that we're able to weather this one again."