The Smithsonian Institute announced that several of its museums would be closed Wednesday because of concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
“The National Museum of African Art, the National Postal Museum, the Anacostia Community Museum and the National Museum of Asian Art (Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery) are closed effective tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 29, and are scheduled to reopen Monday, Jan. 3, 2022,” the Smithsonian said in a statement announcing the closures.
“Like many other organizations, the Smithsonian has been managing the direct and indirect outcomes of the latest surge in [COVID] infections caused by the omicron variant,” the statement continued. “Over the last few days, the Smithsonian has seen an increase in positive [COVID] cases and associated quarantine periods among our essential and operational staff. The closures of these four museums will allow the Smithsonian to reallocate staff and keep all other museums open for the remainder of the week.”
“The Smithsonian strives to keep as many of our museums open to the public as possible without sacrificing the health and safety of our visitors and staff,” the statement concluded.
News of the closures comes as Washington, D.C., where the four affected museums and 19 of the Smithsonian Institute’s 23 properties are located, has seen a steep increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. The District of Columbia has seen a 930% increase in COVID-19 infections over the past 2 weeks, according to NPR’s coronavirus tracker. The nation’s Capital is averaging more than 2,000 new cases per day. D.C. is currently leading the nation in infection rate per 100,000 people by a large margin, with 293 infections per 100,000, significantly higher than second-place New York, with 192 infections per 100,000 people.
D.C.’s spike in COVID-19 cases comes even as the district has one of the highest vaccination rates. According to data from the city government, cited by Newsweek, at least 85% of D.C. residents have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 67% of residents fully-vaccinated. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also declared a state of emergency last week over concerns about the Omicron variant and announced that individuals ages 12 and up would be required to show proof of vaccination for nearly all indoor activities by January 15, 2022. The Daily Wire reported:
Individuals will be required to prove their vaccination status by either an original or copy-photo of their vaccine card or a digital passport at restaurants, bars, nightclubs, indoor cultural and entertainment facilities, indoor exercise and recreational establishments, and indoor event and meeting establishments.
Likewise, beginning March 1, 2022, all eligible students in D.C. will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccinen …
According to local reports, exceptions to the mandate include “grocery stores, museums and places of worship.”
Businesses will also be required to check vaccine IDs and post a notice on their establishment regarding the need for verification. The mayor also stated that by February 15, 2022, all individuals visiting the aforementioned establishments must have proof of two doses of vaccines.
The mayor made the announcements despite less than one COVID-related death per day in the city, and despite multiple reports that the Omicron variant is less severe than previous iterations of the virus.