The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the latest institution to temporarily close amid coronavirus fears.
The Museum announced that effective March 13, all three of its locations — The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters —will be temporarily closed to support the city’s effort to contain the spread of coronavirus. Each branch will undergo a thorough cleaning, and plans to announce the next steps will come early next week.
In the statement, the Met representatives said that the Museum has been preparing for this possibility for several weeks. The Museum has since developed an operational plan that includes provisions to support salaried and hourly staff.
“The Met’s priority is to protect and support our staff, volunteers, and visitors, and we have been taking several proactive precautionary measures, including discouraging travel to affected areas, implementing rigorous cleaning routines, and staying in close communication with New York City health officials and the Centers for Disease Control,” said Daniel H. Weiss, President and CEO of the Museum. “While we don’t have any confirmed cases connected to the Museum, we believe that we must do all that we can to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our community, which at this time calls for us to minimize gatherings while maintaining the cleanest environment possible. We look forward to soon announcing when we’ll be able to welcome our staff and visitors back to the Museum.”
