CINCINNATI — Cincinnati businesses continued to reopen this weekend despite the city’s battle with the latest surge in COVID-19 cases.
The Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) is one of the largest to allow guests again. After nearly four months, CMC is ready for revenue after suffering multi-million-dollar losses.
Cody Hefner has worked at CMC for nearly a decade. He said 175 people lost their jobs. After losing $3.5 million during the closure, Hefner said, the museum could be playing catch-up for years.
“We suffered a lot. You’re not just thinking, 'What does today look like or tomorrow look like?' What’s next year, in five years from now, look like?” Hefner said.
Since shutting down March 14, leaders have come up with four main ways to reopen relatively safely during a pandemic:
- Hand sanitizer in each room
- Constant cleaning of surfaces
- Masks on everyone
- Fewer people inside
If you’ve been to the CMC, you know there are a lot of touch screens. Now, guests will use an app on their phone. Also, you should bring your own headphones.
Unfortunately for parents, the children’s museum will remain closed. Workers said it’s too hands-on and germs could spread easily.
The science and history museums are open, and Hefner said the new Mayan exhibit guests hoped to see at the start of the shutdown is now open for the first time in the US.
“Over 300 artifacts from the Mayan civilization, which is really incredible,” Hefner said.
Sunday will be open to members only at 10:00 a.m. CMC will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then it’s members only again on Thursday. The CMC will be open to the general public on Friday, but guests will need to get tickets online and sign up for a time slot.
