Reopen NYC: Take a look inside the Met before it reopens to visitors amid the COVID pandemic

BySandra Bookman WABC logo

Monday, August 24, 2020

Metropolitan Museum of Art to reopen its doors to visitors

Sandra Bookman got a look inside to see the changes visitors can expect.

UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- The Metropolitan Museum of Art will reopen its doors to visitors on Saturday and Eyewitness News got a look inside to see the changes visitors can expect.

"It's exciting to be back again."

Those words today from Will Sullivan, head of Visitor Experience at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as he walked through the museum's empty great hall.

On Saturday, the Met will reopen its doors for the first time since March 13. It and most of New York City's cultural institutions were shuttered because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the museum reopens on Saturday, there will be some new safety protocols in place, including mandatory face coverings for staff and visitors, more frequent cleanings -- especially of high-touch areas, and an emphasis on handwashing...with sanitizing stations throughout the museum.

Museum capacity will also be limited to 25 percent. On a normal day, before coronavirus, the Met hosted 15,000 to 20,000 visitors a day.

Now, all visitors will have their temperatures checked upon entry. The Met has also implemented timed ticketing and advance ticket purchases.

Some New Yorkers said they see this as a sign that the city is slowly making it's way back.

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