Just days after entering into Stage 2 of Ontario’s COVID-19 reopening plan, Waterloo Region will enter Stage 3 on Friday, alongside the rest of the province.
This reopening will allow for a wide variety of new entertainment and sporting options for residents in the tri-city area including museums, movie theatres and concert venues to open.
One such option is THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener, which has been shuttered since last November, and will finally be open again on Friday.
THEMUSEUM CEO David Marskell says he was thrilled when he heard Wednesday’s announcement that Waterloo Region would be entering into Stage 3 along with the rest of Ontario on Friday.
“We’re built to be open. We’re built to awe, inspire and enlighten,” Marskell told Global News.
“And so when the news was official yesterday, it was if we had been together, we would have been high-fiving, just thrilled that we could be back up and running.”
During the hiatus, TheMuseum put in place some new exhibits with a thought toward keeping people’s hands off in a place which normally offers plenty of sensory options.
“One is Dinosaurs Alive!, which is the age of big, weird feathered things, which is kind of cool,” Marskell said, noting the second was SONICA The Sound Experience.
“We chose those because in part because you didn’t have to touch them to be immersed.”
Marskell said TheMuseum could accommodate up to 800 people under provincial guidelines but it will take a walk before it runs approach to its long-awaited reopening.
“We’re obviously mindful of safety and and not just safety and we know it’s safe because we cleaned it, but the perception of safety for our visitors and guests,” the CEO said.
“So we’re offering time tickets, but just about 125 for an entry that you can come in at any time during those two hours.”
He said they will keep an eye on how the numbers flow in and out of the building before making further judgments as to how things will operate going forward.
The downtown Kitchener attraction will once again be offering camps in the basement for older kids, which Marskell said are quickly filling up.
In addition, it used to host many after events such as Christmas parties and weddings.
“So there is there is a window for us to begin to do those types of things,” he noted.
“What’s really encouraging is that people are calling us and we’re getting inquiries about weddings, about corporate parties, different types of rentals.”
THEMUSEUM is just one of a host of attractions which will open up again on Friday with others including the waterpark at Bingemans, the Waterloo Region Museum and the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery.
In addition, each of the cities of Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo will begin to open indoor swimming pools, arenas and community centres as soon as they can.
The third step will also allow for larger indoor and outdoor gatherings, indoor dining as well as increased retail capacity.
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