Friday, April 19, 2024

NY’s Metropolitan Museum to Close for Cleaning, No Re-Open Date Yet, Can Met Gala Be Far Behind?

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Fifth Avenue’s famed Metropolitan Museum of Art is shutting down starting tomorrow for a deep clean. It’s unclear when it will re-open. But this news does put Anna Wintour’s Met Ball on May 4th in jeopardy, particularly if the Museum doesn’t open again right away. Other museums may follow suit, we’ll watch for announcements.

Press release:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that it will temporarily close all three locations—The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters—starting tomorrow, March 13, to support New York City’s effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. The Museum will undertake a thorough cleaning and plans to announce next steps early next week.

Daniel H. Weiss, President and CEO of the Museum, stated: “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. We look forward to soon announcing when we’ll be able to welcome our staff and visitors back to the Museum.”

The Museum has been preparing for this possibility for several weeks, and has developed an operational plan that is now being put in place, which includes provisions to support salaried and hourly staff.
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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