ST. LOUIS — Three St. Louis locations that closed their doors as COVID-19 cases started to surge will reopen to the public next month.
The Missouri Historical Society (MHS) announced the Missouri History Museum will open Tuesday, Feb. 1, while the MHS Library & Research Center and Soldiers Memorial Military Museum will open Feb. 2.
The locations closed Jan. 7 as the highly contagious omicron variant spread throughout the St. Louis area and the country. The historical society said the surge in cases led to an increase in staffing issues, and they felt a temporary closure was the best thing to do for the health and safety of employees, volunteers and visitors.
The Missouri Historical Society shared a reminder as guests plan to come back: per St. Louis’ health ordinance, masks are still required inside all three locations for all visitors who are 2 and older.
The Missouri History Museum’s in-person public programming will resume Monday, Feb. 14. The February programming features a lineup of Black History Month specials and exhibits. Visit the history museum’s website for the full list.
The Saint Louis Art Museum also announced a temporary closure earlier this month due to rising cases in the community and among the museum’s staff members and their loved ones. The museum has not yet announced a reopening date but officials previously said they anticipated reopening to the public Feb. 1.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force leaders shared an update on the COVID-19 situation Tuesday afternoon. Hospital leaders said the number of COVID-positive patients in St. Louis area hospitals is starting to decline from the record-high numbers of the omicron variant, but hospital staffing is still stretched thin.
"We're finally starting to see some good progress in our fight against omicron," Dr. Alex Garza of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said in a briefing Tuesday. "Our hospitalization totals continue to bounce around a little bit, but in general, they're trending down. And that's really encouraging."
Although hospitalizations are coming down, they are still at higher levels than any point before the omicron surge.
