ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The governor shutdown state museums this week for the second time during the pandemic. But the gift shop inside the Museum of Natural History and Science near Old Town is staying open because it’s run by the museum’s foundation.
“[We] Provide funding to their educational programs as well as the exhibits. So, we sustain those programs for them and it is extremely important that we keep the shop open,” says Lisa Spencer, store manager at NatureWorks Discovery.
The store inside the museum is open Thursdays through Sundays from 10 to 4 and requires people to wear masks. The foundation is also about to launch an online store.
A museum spokesperson says that while the museum is closed, crews will continue deep cleaning and improving exhibits, including the new interactive Dino-wall and planetarium, so they’ll be ready to reopen once the state allows. “We were happy that people were able to come back for a little while and look forward to allowing people to come back again soon,” said Jim Greenhouse of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Greenhouse says that, while the museum was open for about a month, they never exceeded their capacity limit of 250 visitors and had no lines.
New Mexico Coronavirus Resource Guide
- Tracking Coronavirus in New Mexico
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- New Mexico Coronavirus Cases by County, by Day
- What you need to know about New Mexico’s Public Health Order
- Red, Yellow, Green Level Definitions
- What do I need to know about the COVID vaccine in New Mexico
- Evictions – Supreme Court Ruling
- New Mexico CARES Act grants to be dispersed by Christmas Eve
