Why is the Smithsonian still closed?

[Anonymous]

Because that's how you get tourists in DC, OP.

Coming here, spreading Covid variants.

The museums were open in the fall, and I assume they will eventually open back up late spring / summer, with limited admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great point.

Like mid-tier private colleges, yes, some museums probably are prioritizing money over public health. That is not a good thing...even if it cramps your fun.

Be patient, the spring is coming. And vaccines are being administered. But more than 1,000 people are still dying each day, so there is that.

More than 3000 people dying each day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Possibly because they tend to pull for tourists more than most of the other museums that you mentioned— and with the pandemic, don’t want to send the message that tourism is in full swing. Also, in order to limit entry numbers they would either have to stop people at the door, or switch to a ticketing system — which would be new for most of the museums and possibly penalize people without easy access to the internet. I’m guessing that financial interest may be driving some of the other openings.

Personally, I view a government institution’s indifference to public health in a different way compared to private institutions. I expect a higher standard from the Smithsonian.

I also applaud the efforts of the Smithsonian Museums and others to develop creative online and other offerings. During the pandemic, I’ve actually interacted more with museums and their collections than I did previously— which was already at a pretty frequent level.

You see, when the Met opened up, it was touted as the triumph of resilient New Yorkers pulling for their city and its cultural institutions. There were timed entry tickets, kinda like the Smithsonian had here in the summer when they were briefly open. The Smithsonian closed again indefinitely while other musems remained open.

So, the resilient New Yorkers want their arts back and the bureaucrats from DC don't really care?

And I'm glad you enjoyed "interacting with the collections" online but we al know it is not the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm fine with museums being close for now. But really, the zoo should be open. Huge outdoor space, just limit the people more than it was over the summer.

I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the Smithsonian complex was open, there would be tourists in DC from all over the country putting the health of DC residents at risk. Some of us actually live here and don't relish the idea of our health being put at risk because hordes of tourists are bored and want to travel here and not wear masks.

Mthis. They are free, so they don’t produce income. They are drains on the federal government as is. So they stay closed.