The Exploratorium in San Francisco will temporarily reinstate a COVID-era mask requirement for a special two-hour session on August 22. During this period, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., all visitors and staff will be required to wear N95, KN95, or KF94 masks.
The museum is designating this early-access time to provide a "safer experience" for immunocompromised guests. Attendance will be limited, and the museum will offer free masks. This move marks a return to masking policies that have largely disappeared from public life years after the initial pandemic surge.
Museum officials stated the policy is a response to rising COVID-19 transmission rates in the Bay Area, with virus concentrations detected in regional sewage increasing since late July. The requirement aims to protect high-risk individuals from COVID-19 and other airborne illnesses.
"We’re constantly listening to our visitors, and a designated mask-required experience is something many have expressed interest in," Rachel Hyden, senior director of visitor engagement, told the San Francisco Chronicle. She added that the Exploratorium has an internal committee focused on creating inclusive experiences that extend beyond legal mandates.
All museum galleries, including the "Life in Space" exhibition, will remain open during the mask-required session. The mandate will conclude at 11 a.m., after which the museum will resume its regular 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule without the mask requirement.