San Diego's iconic USS Midway Museum will reopen on Wednesday, just in time for the Fourth of July, following a more than three-month closure due to the novel coronavirus.
The museum said they received clearance from Gov. Gavin Newsom to reopen it's doors to the public on Wednesday but will, at first, limit guests to the flight deck and hangar deck.
The Midway will have new procedures in place to ensure the safety of guests and to comply with the county's health orders, one of which is limiting capacity.
Guests will use an online timed-ticketing system to select what time and day they will visit the ship. Guests can choose between 30-minute windows from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mark Berlin, Midway’s director of operations, said this would allow them to ensure physical distancing can be maintained. Staff members will be around to remind guests to maintain six feet of distance.
Guests will have their temperature checked with a no-touch thermometer before they can step aboard the aircraft carrier. Once on the ship, guests will be asked to wear face coverings. Staff will do the same.
The museum also has a dedicated cleaning team, who will focus on cleaning high-touch surfaces.
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The San Diego attraction has been closed since mid-March, when Gov. Gavin Newsom restricted gatherings of more than 250 people across the state. In the following weeks, further restrictions were implemented until gatherings of any size were prohibited to limit the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The museum's leaders were part of a "San Diego Attraction Coalition" that met with county health officials to discuss ways in which the amusements could reopen July 1 with safety at the forefront. The final approval had to come from the state.
Legoland California and SeaWorld San Diego were also part of the coalition but had not said if they got the go-ahead to move towards reopening.
