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Gov. Pritzker orders museums to close back down as COVID-19 rates climb in Illinois

Early in the day Tuesday, Shedd Aquarium announced it would join the MCA in shutting down again temporarily as coronavirus rates rise in Illinois and across the country and officials ask the public to hunker back down.

But Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s afternoon press briefing made it clear they would not be alone. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday, all indoor museums must close to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, he said, part of a suite of mitigations meant to limit public gatherings.

“These mitigations pause a number of indoor activities where the science shows us this virus can most easily spread,” Pritzker said. “Museums, theaters, and casinos will need to temporarily close.”

At publication time, institutions were working to notify employees and come up with public statements, but the order is expected to effectively end temporarily months of being reopened with limitations at most of the largest cultural institutions.

The Art Institute responded by announcing it would close: “Due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases and new guidance from the state of Illinois, we have made the careful decision to close the museum to visitors and staff starting tomorrow, Wednesday, November 18,” the museum said in a statement.

At the Chicago History Museum, Senior Vice President John Russick said via e-mail, “The history museum remains available to everyone through our digital resources and virtual tours. And we will be back open as soon as this temporary return to tier 3 mitigations is over.”

The Field Museum Tuesday evening announced if would close for at least two weeks starting Friday, and the Museum of Science and Industry said it would be closed beginning Thursday.

Also Tuesday, Lincoln Park Zoo, a primarily outdoor attraction, said it will stay open in the coming weeks but close during most of January and February for public safety and cost savings.

The lakefront aquarium said it would close beginning Wednesday for six weeks and aim to reopen Jan. 2.

“Shedd Aquarium took stock in all the signals of the shelter advisory from the mayor,” CEO and President Bridget Coughlin said. “Not only do we have required mask wearing at the aquarium but enforced ample distancing. (Still) it was really clear that for the greater community effort we should close.”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot last week issued a 30-day “stay-at-home advisory” effective Monday aimed at once again flattening the rising curve of COVID cases and protecting public safety and the health-care system.

MCA Chicago on Monday announced its temporary closure, through Dec. 4, although now the ability to reopen appears to rest with the success of COVID mitigation efforts.

Lisa Key, the museum’s deputy director, said in a statement, “The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago places the highest priority on the health and safety of the public and our museum staff, and respects the recent request by City officials to join efforts to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”

Some other attractions whose offerings are primarily indoors were considering following suit, although none had made announcements prior to Pritzker’s 2:30 p.m. briefing.

Before the press conference Field Museum Chief Marketing Officer Ray DeThorne said via e-mail, “We are having conversations about what is the right thing to do. We are being informed by both the mayor’s and governor’s statements. We expect to have an announcement in the next day or so.”

Pritzker warned last week that rising coronavirus infection numbers seemed to be pushing him toward issuing “some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order,” he said. He stopped short of doing that Tuesday, but he did move the state into Tier 3 Mitigations in Phase 4 of its COVID recovery plan. Beyond closing museums, these include ending indoor service at restaurants, closing casinos and cutting outdoor activities to 25 percent capacity.

After an initial wave of closings back in mid-March, most of the biggest cultural institutions reopened in a limited way over the summer, although they knew it might not last. In a May interview, Art Institute President and CEO James Rondeau said the museum at the time was “forecasting for opening and for a secondary and tertiary closure cycle.” The Art Institute opened back up in late July.

And Coughlin, whose institution reopened in early July, on Tuesday said, “Back in September we were putting plans in place should there be a need to close again.”

Deciding to close through the new year rather than for a shorter term, she said, was “sort of a realistic scientific thought of how quickly the curve could flatten, but secondly it gives the organization an opportunity to really focus on other vehicles for mission delivery.”

Instead of stopping, restarting and then possibly stopping ticket sales again, she said, the museum can re-emphasize its online efforts while shifting the duties of some public-facing staff to work including winterizing the gardens and learning Spanish.

“This lets us really take stock and really give the organization time to mentally focus on what we can do,” she said.

Major museums that have not reopened their physical spaces during the pandemic include the Adler Planetarium, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, DuSable Museum of African American History, National Museum of Mexican Art and Chicago Children’s Museum.

Meanwhile, Lincoln Park Zoo said Tuesday it will close from Jan. 4 – March 4 as both a cold-weather safety and cost-saving measure. Last month, Brookfield Zoo announced it would close for roughly the same period, Jan 1. – Feb. 28.

“At this time, we plan to stay open until our temporary closure in January and February,” Brookfield spokesoman Sondra Katzen said Tuesday via email. “We continue to have protocols in place, including face coverings required if guests are not able to social distance from others outside of their group, have hand sanitizers located throughout the park, and all indoor buildings remain closed.”

The major zoos and nature parks have their big annual holiday lights festivals coming up, and it was not immediately clear what impact the state’s outdoor restrictions would have. The institutions have already sold tens of thousands of tickets for the events.

“ZooLights” at Lincoln Park opens Nov. 20, and “Holiday Magic” at Brookfield opens Nov. 27. Both events are operating at a reduced capacity this year.

Morton Arboretum this year changed its holiday lights event, “Illumination,” to a drive-through experience, opening Nov. 20. Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Lightscape” began Friday, welcoming a lesser number of visitors than the previous year on new pathways and with increased room for interpersonal distancing.

Kohl Children’s Museum just announced its first-ever outdoor holiday lights show, scheduled to start Dec. 4.

Tuesday evening, botanic garden and Lincoln Park Zoo spokespeople said they did not expect the new rules to impact their holiday lights presentations.

For all the grim news about COVID rates climbing again, Coughlin, herself a trained scientist, said the preliminary news about the development of effective vaccines is a reason for hope.

“I am absolutely encouraged,” she said, while cautioning that in the meantime “we have to be resilient and endure and focus on what we can do — and do what’s right and what’s required.”

sajohnson@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @StevenKJohnson