BOISE, Idaho — Large venues like the Idaho State Museum and Old Idaho Penitentiary are preparing to open on Saturday if there is not a significant increase in COVID-19 cases.
The Idaho State Historical Society said the museum and penitentiary went from seeing 6,500 visitors a month during January and February, to zero in March, April and May due to the coronavirus shutdowns.
However, Historical Society staff are excited to welcome visitors back this weekend. They have taken measures, approved by Gov. Brad Little, to begin reopening their locations, starting with the Idaho State Museum and the Old Idaho Penitentiary.
“From June 13 to June 26, both the Idaho State Museum and the Idaho State Penitentiary are opening,” Janet Gallimore said, executive director of the Idaho State Historical Society. “Of course both of those facilities are different. The penitentiary has more outdoor space so we can do a little more people there.”
The Old Penitentiary will allow 50 people to enter per hour, and the State Museum will allow 30 per hour. Both sites will have a limit on the total capacity.
“The total capacity at the museum would be 60 visitors at any particular point in time,” Gallimore said. “The old penitentiary is clearly a much larger facility and has a much larger outdoor space, so a much bigger capacity there.”
The museum added glass panels to protect employees, and display signs and markers on the floor as a reminder for social distancing.
The museum also purchased stylus pens for people to use on the multi-media interactive exhibits instead of their fingers.
The historical society is encouraging all visitors to wear masks and purchase their tickets online.
Admission to the museum and the penitentiary will be discounted for healthcare workers, first responders, and service industry workers June 20 and 21.
Check the Idaho State Historical Society’s website for important updates on the reopening.
At KTVB, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: www.ktvb.com/coronavirus.
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