Metropolitan Museum of Art Will Temporarily Close Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
All three locations of the famed museum will shutter.
The latest institution to respond to Coronavirus-related concerns, New York‘s Metropolitan Museum of Art will temporary close all three of its locations — The Met Fifth Avenue, the Met Breuer and The Met Cloisters — starting March 13 in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. Daniel H. Weiss, Met Museum President and CEO, issued an official statement on the news.
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. 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.
The Museum will undergo top-to-bottom cleaning and in the meantime, has developed provisions to support salaried and hourly staff during the closure. Next steps will be announced early next week. So far, plans for the Met Gala, scheduled for May 4, remain in place.
In related news, the NBA announced that it will suspend its 2019-2020 season after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.
