Kids in the Cincinnati area (and their parents) can rejoice: For the first time in nearly a year and a half, the Children’s Museum in the Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) will open to the public on July 1.
As a result of the pandemic — and due to the attraction's interactive presentation with many high-touch areas — the Children’s Museum’s doors have been closed for the past 16 months. But more relaxed guidelines put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine have allowed the CMC to reopen the beloved play zone (voted one of the top 3 Best Kid-Friendly Attractions in this year's Best Of Cincinnati issue).
Although the CMC will have to limit guest capacity in order to ensure social distancing and proper cleaning protocols, the museum cannot wait to be a part of children’s learning experiences again, says CMC President and CEO Elizabeth Pierce. “Seeing kids climb through The Woods, splash through Waterworks and have those transformative moments of joy and epiphany are some of our most fulfilling moments as museum professionals,” she says in a release.
Guests of the Children’s Museum will have to continue to wear a mask in order to protect all those who have not been vaccinated, including the many children who are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. (COVID-19 vaccines are available to anyone age 16 and older in Ohio. People must be at least 16 years old for the Pfizer vaccine and 18 years old for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.)
In addition to the Children’s Museum, the CMC plans to reopen the Science Interactives Gallery presented by Proctor & Gamble on July 1, as well as the renovated Ice Age Gallery.
The CMC is planning to provide an update on ticket availability and membership details in the coming weeks, ensuring that your child can experience the joy of the Children’s Museum efficiently and safely.
For more details and tickets, visit cincymuseum.org.
Last week, Gov. DeWine announced that the majority of the Buckeye State's emergency health orders would be lifted beginning June 2. Since the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020, DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health have enacted a variety of measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19, which is easily transmissible among people through respiratory droplets when someone talks, sneezes, coughs or exhales with force.
Ohio's guidance over the past year has included reduced capacity for businesses and venues, a late-evening curfew, physical distancing recommendations, and a mandate to wear masks in public and particularly indoors, among other measures.
But on May 12, DeWine said that the state's last remaining health orders — including the one limiting capacity — would expire beginning June 2. DeWine added on May 14 that Ohioans who have been fully vaccinated would no longer have to wear a mask in public, except in healthcare settings, on public transit or in businesses that continue to require them.
According to the CDC, a “fully vaccinated” person is one who is two weeks past their second dose of a two-dose vaccine (Pfizer and Moderna) or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine (J&J).
In Ohio, 42% of residents have received at least one dose of vaccine. Only 37% are fully vaccinated, according to Ohio's COVID-19 dashboard.
