BALTIMORE — The National Aquarium reopened Monday at 9 a.m. after adopting new measures to improve social distancing.
"The National Aquarium has reopened after taking additional measures to improve social distancing within our buildings. We will continue to work closely with the health department and the City," said a National Aquarium Spokesperson.
The health department and the fire marshal paid several visits to the National Aquarium last week and, during Sunday's visit, they thought that the aquarium could've been doing more to enforce social distancing guidelines. So, they closed for the rest of the day and worked to revise their protocols and to add more floor markings prior to Monday's opening.
"Our top priority remains the health and safety of our guests, staff and animals, and we will continue to work with the Health Department and Baltimore City to ensure our protocols meet the latest COVID-19 guidelines," said the aquarium's spokesperson.
On Sunday, the Baltimore City Health Department temporarily closed the National Aquarium for failing to address over crowding.
A City health spokesperson sent WMAR-2 News the following statement:
The Baltimore City Health Department has temporarily closed the National Aquarium this afternoon following a health inspection, after issuing warnings to the Aquarium for failing to address over-crowding or to maintain social distancing at some of their exhibits. No citations or fines are associated with the closure. Our teams are working with the National Aquarium’s leadership and are reviewing their COVID-19 reopening plans, to resolve these health and safety concerns as quickly as possible.
