National Aquarium Reopens After It Was Shut Down For Social Distancing, Overcrowding Issues
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The National Aquarium in Baltimore reopened Monday morning after it was temporarily closed Sunday for coronavirus-related violations.
A city health inspection found some issues with their social distancing practices inside the aquarium Sunday after they previous issued to them "failing to address over-crowding or to maintain social distancing at some of their exhibits."
"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. The safety of our guests, staff and animals remains our top priority," a spokesman told WJZ in a statement.
The aquarium reopened at 9 a.m.
The aquarium issued a statement Sunday when it was closed by the city health department:
"The National Aquarium is temporarily closed. Over the past several days, we received several health inspections and visits from the fire marshal. While the majority of the feedback we received was positive, there were a couple of areas of concern that were raised in Sunday's inspection that we are currently mitigating," the Aquarium said in a statement later Sunday. "We will be sharing revised protocols and new measures to mitigate social distancing concerns with the Health Department this evening. We will continue to work in close partnership with the health department, the fire marshal and the City to ensure we are doing all we can to provide a safe visit for our guests. We look forward to mitigating these final areas of concern and reopening shortly."
A photo circulating on social media last week showed a lack of social distancing inside the aquarium. Mayor Brandon Scott was asked about the photo at a press conference and said the city was looking into the photo.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
