Open and Shut

Yesterday, the National Aquarium Baltimore was briefly shuttered by local authorities after pictures went viral that seemed to show the Baltimore attraction overcrowded, with visitors not socially-distancing properly.  A visitor took the picture and complained, and the Aquarium was told to close until they could resolve the issue.  It didn't seem to take long - less than a day later, the Aquarium is again open to the public, having put some new rules into place that seemed to satisfy the authorities.

Granted, when I first saw the picture that caused all the commotion, I thought, "That's it?"  Have these people ever seen a really crowded zoo or aquarium?  It can be hard to socially distancing things at a facility like a zoo, no matter how hard you try.  You can meter the people as best you can and limit capacity, but if something cool is happening at an exhibit, crowds will form - even if that crowd is everyone in your 25% capacity facility.  

Less than a week after my zoo reopened, I spent a (guiltily) amused ten minutes watching a docent arguing with a visitor.  The visitor had been parked in front of one of our primate exhibits trying to get a shot of a newborn baby; the docent wanted him to move along because she felt that he was taking up too much of the viewing area and not letting other guests in.  I didn't step in because a) there really weren't any other guests, so I'm not sure who she was trying to make room for and b) I don't like getting too close to people these days.

I'm glad that the National Aquarium is back open - these times are tough, and every day of closure means money not coming through the gates, money that is needed to feed the animals, keep the lights on, support conservation and research work, and, oh yeah, pay us.  It's a good reminder, though, that there are all sorts of rules and regulations in place pertaining to COVID, and they're likely to stay with us for sometime.  We all need to adapt and do what we can to stay open while still staying safe.