Museum of Life and Science preps indoor spaces for Saturday reopening

DURHAM, N.C. — The Museum of Life and Science opened some of its outdoor spaces to the public in July, and now it's reopening its indoor spaces to the public on Saturday, Sept. 5.

The change is prompted by North Carolina's move to Phase 2.5 of its reopening plan during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allows museums to reopen at limited capacity. Marbles Kids Museum, the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and other museums have also announced their own plans to reopen.

“Our Butterfly House, Insectarium, and aerospace exhibits are among our most popular attractions,” said Matt Pusateri, senior director of marketing at the museum, in a press release, “so we’re excited to finally let visitors back inside to discover and explore the museum. We’ve had more than five months to create a better, safer experience for guests and can’t wait to share it with families from around the Triangle.”

The museum has added new health and safety measures and renovations to its indoor exhibits, according to the release. Those improvements include new cleaning and sanitation procedures, upgraded HVAC systems and air filters, and changes to exhibit spaces to improve circulation and allow for more physical distancing between groups.

It's also rearranged some exhibit spaces, relocated others, and removed or closed some experiences that just aren’t safe at this time. A timed-entry system also makes it possible for the museum to limit who can visit the museum each day to minimize crowding and ensure there's plenty of room for visitors to keep a physical distance from each other.

Following new guidelines from the state of North Carolina and Durham County, starting Sept. 5, all guests five and up must wear face coverings at the museum at all times, indoor and outdoor, unless actively eating and drinking.