KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Memorial Day tradition looks a lot different this year. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the World War I Museum is closed, but they do plan to reopen soon.
The gates have been shut the past two months – but later Monday morning you can go out to the Liberty Memorial and walk outside on the grounds.
There will be no Memorial Day ceremony to attend this year; it will all be virtual.
The museum staff recently announced plans to reopen the exhibits inside for members next Monday June 1, and for all others on Tuesday, June 2.
The visitor experience will be a lot different.
In accordance with Kansas City’s 10-10-10 rule, they will keep the museum at 10% capacity.
There will be two sessions for guests to go in, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, so it’ll be best to buy your tickets online to guarantee you can get inside.
They’ve installed a sneeze guard at the front desk, and all employees will wear masks, though you don’t have to wear one. They will also encourage social distancing, which will be easier since there won’t be as many people inside.
Employees are excited to welcome back guests.
“It’s an unusual experience to have nobody here in the museum, to have the galleries emptied, so we are very much looking forward to people being back again inside,” Matthew Naylor, president and CEO of the World War I Memorial, said.
Everyone is welcome to take part in the virtual Memorial Day ceremony Monday.
There are three parts to it: The ceremony at 10 a.m., the tolling of the bell at noon, and the walk of honor ceremony at 2 p.m.
You can find more information about the events on the memorial’s website.
