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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think we need to prioritize things for opening that contribute to the economy.  Museums would carry significant risk, and relatively little economic benefit, especially in this area where most of them aren't dependent on entrance fees.  Perhaps the staff can make educational programs and virtual field trips during the closure.[/quote]

New poster. I agree that other things need to open first; however, please be aware that even in this area, there are many smaller museums that do depend on entrance fees, donations (which are down, everywhere), paid programs, events held in the evenings and on weekends. Not all museums even in the DC area are free-admission Smithsonians. All these fee-paying museums have staff -- sometimes more staff than you see when you visit, people working behind the scenes. They're affected by the closures too.

And historic sites like Mount Vernon are not necessarily National Park Service or state park sites getting federal or state money (in fact MV itself is 100 percent privately funded). If we want them to be there for the future, we do need to support them during this time if we can, and visit them when they reopen.

Again, I do totally agree that there are other priorities that come first! But it would be an immensely sad  result of this pandemic if in a few years' time we realized that museums, especially smaller ones, had simply folded, and were no longer there. It's something to consider when things do reopen; I hope people will be as eager to get to museums and historic sites as they seem to be on these forums to get to malls and stores.

As for "significant risk" -- museums would seem to be able to have less risk than stores. It's very doable for museums limit admission numbers, greatly limit numbers they admit and numbers allowed in galleries/rooms, and temporarily eliminate hands-on exhibits and activities. Museums are already used to having docents and guards who tell people to wait to enter areas, or who already are used to telling people not to touch items etc. Museums would seem already better prepared to address visitors who violate distancing or touching rules than stores or malls are. Just a thought.

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