You are reading

New York Hall of Science in Corona Will Reopen in Middle of 2021

New York Hall of Science (Photo: Queens Post)

June 29, 2020 By Michael Dorgan 

The New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) has announced that it will not reopen until the middle of next year due to concerns surrounding COVID-19.

NYSCI will only reopen when it is safe to do so — and when additional preventative measures become available, Margaret Honey, President, and CEO of NYSCI, said in a June 24 statement.

The science museum, located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, has been closed since March 14.

“As a high-touch, highly interactive museum, we will be cautious about when it will be safe to reopen our doors to the public,” Honey said.

“We will do so in phases when public health professionals and other officials say it is safe and when visitors tell us they are comfortable coming.”

Museum officials will also take into account the availability of a COVID-19 vaccine or new treatment regimens before reopening.

The museum delivers services and programming in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through social engagement and hands-on learning.

The museum is a high-touch environment because of the tools and materials shared among visitors and staff, Honey said.

Museum officials are concerned that if they open too early it could increase the spread of COVID-19.

“The safety of our staff and visitors is paramount,” Honey said. “We will also streamline entry and purchasing experiences to comprehensively address staff and visitors’ safety concerns,” she said.

NYSCI will improve its hands-on offerings when it reopens next year and new exhibitions will be created, she said.

In the meantime, the museum will continue to deliver STEM virtual experiences to the public. This will also ensure that many staff at the museum are retained.

“Closing the doors of NYSCI for even one day was a difficult but necessary decision,” said Melissa Vail and Francisco D’Souza, co-chairs of the NYSCI Board of Trustees.

“With as much uncertainty as there is about COVID-19 and its impact on our lives, the Board has chosen a path that enables us to continue to support the local communities of Corona and Elmhurst which have been among the hardest hit by the virus,” they said.

The museum’s ongoing research, curricular, digital and exhibit work will also cater to students and families across the city, they said.

The re-opening plan was approved by the NYSCI Board unanimously on June 18, 2020.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

One Comment

Click for Comments 

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

‘From worst to best’: LaGuardia named top U.S. airport by Forbes Travel Guide

Forbes Travel Guide named LaGuardia Airport as the nation’s best airport in October based on a survey of 5,000 hospitality and travel experts and the guide’s most well-traveled fliers.

On Tuesday, Port Authority executive director Rick Cotton accepted the Verified Air Travel Award in the recently completed Terminal C. The award is the latest in a long list of accolades given to LaGuardia throughout the course of the airport’s $8 billion transformation project that began in 2016.

Second teen arrested for fatal stabbing of 14-year-old outside Sunnyside McDonald’s last month: NYPD

A second teenager was collared for the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old boy during an after-school brawl at a Sunnyside McDonald’s restaurant last month.

Members of the NYPD’s Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested a 16-year-old boy in the confines of the 110th Precinct on Thursday morning and transported him to the 108th Precinct in Long Island City, where he was booked for the murder of Julian Corniell of 159th Street in South Jamaica on the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 14.