SC children’s museum sets date for reopening amid coronavirus
The EdVenture Children’s Museum is preparing to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, announcing Saturday that the general public will be allowed back in starting July 14.
The children’s museum, which has locations in Columbia, Myrtle Beach and Hartsville, has been closed since mid-March due to COVID-19.
There will be health and safety protocols in place when the museum opens its doors — like Columbia’s Riverbanks Zoo, tickets will have to be purchased in advance and will correspond with a specific time block. They’ll also be available in reduced capacity to allow for social distancing measures.
In addition, all visitors three years old or older will be required to wear a face mask — the city of Columbia already has a face mask ordinance in place. No cash will be accepted, and no outside food or drink except water bottles will be allowed.
The number of exhibits available will also be reduced in Columbia, and within exhibits that are open, “high-touch experiences” will be eliminated, museum officials said in a statement. All exhibits will be closed periodically throughout the day for 30 minutes to allow for cleaning.
Staff members, volunteers and interns will also have to undergo a temperature check upon entering the building.
EdVenture joins many other tourist attractions and amusements across the state that have reopened during the pandemic — Gov. Henry McMaster previously announced that such businesses could reopen starting May 22. Soda City Market, a popular attraction in downtown Columbia, started back up again in late June.
Since McMaster’s announcement, South Carolina has reported a sharp increase in cases, reaching a record 1,836 cases on July 4. The state’s health agency has now recorded 43,260 confirmed cases and 806 confirmed deaths. Health officials fear crowds gathering for Fourth of July celebrations could drive that increase even higher.
McMaster has said he will not allow certain events, such as spectator sports, to resume until case counts start to trend down, but he also said he will not reimpose restrictions and closures on businesses.
