Following two years of modified schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic and staffing shortages, most of the Smithsonian museums will return to a seven-day schedule by the end of May.

The Smithsonian announced a return to a traditional schedule for most of its facilities March 29, with gradual scheduling changes until May 30, when pre-pandemic schedules will return for all but two of the Smithsonian museums. The National Air and Space Museum will remain closed for renovations, and the Arts and Industries Building will remain on a reduced schedule until the end of July.

Alexandria Fairchild, a Smithsonian spokesperson, said the gradual opening will enable the Smithsonian museums to prepare for the challenges related to staffing and security of returning to pre-pandemic operations.

“Opening Smithsonian museums and the Zoo for additional days is a complex process and requires support from departments and resources that are shared by all Smithsonian museums,” Fairchild wrote to The Hoya. “We are increasing days of operation on a gradual basis so we don’t overwhelm these offices and can offer full support to each museum and the Zoo.”

Samantha Yi (SFS ’22), who frequently visits Smithsonian museums in her free time, said the return to a seven-day schedule will make the Smithsonian museums more accessible for students or employees with busy schedules.

“Many people in the workforce are often only free during the weekends, so going back to the traditional schedule will allow more people to visit the museums and attend events that were not possible during the height of COVID-19,” Yi wrote to The Hoya. 

The museums that are temporarily closed will take longer to reopen, whereas the museums that are now on a modified schedule will be easier to open, according to Fairchild.

“There is no specific answer why each museum or the Zoo is returning to seven days a week on a specific date, it depends on many factors like staffing, exhibition changes, and the specific needs of each museum,” Fairchild wrote. “For example, it’s easier for museums that have been open five or more days a week (like the American History and African American museums) to return to seven days, than it is for museums that were temporarily closed until March (like the Anacostia Community Museum), so those museums are earlier on the list.”

The Smithsonian Institution Building, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, the National Zoo and the National Museum of Natural History have already been operating on a seven-day schedule.

While the Smithsonian schedule will soon mimic pre-pandemic operations for the first time since March 2020, staff will continue to monitor COVID-19 trends and take steps to reduce operations or close locations entirely.

Visitors to Smithsonian museums have not been required to wear a mask since March 11, and no longer need to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. 

Despite the removal of COVID-19 safety protocols required of visitors, the Smithsonian is committed to creating an environment in which visitors feel safe, according to Fairchild.

“Any visitor who prefers to wear a mask during their visit is encouraged to do so. Our museums get very crowded in the Spring and Summer so we cannot always enforce social distancing, but continue to encourage it when possible as good practice,” Fairchild wrote. 

Still, Yi expressed concerns about the lack of safety protocols, especially when large numbers of tourists are all in the same buildings. 

“When it comes to more popular museums, it tends to be crowded with a lot of children as well, which is not an ideal environment to be in when the majority is maskless and the status of vaccination is unclear,” Yi wrote. “This is especially concerning in areas such as the cafeterias within museums where people congregate.”

Staff at the various Smithsonian museums have been trying to reopen since the pandemic forced closures, according to Fairchild.

“Prior to March 2020, Smithsonian museums and the Zoo operated on seven day a week schedules,” Fairchild wrote. “It has always been our goal to return to that schedule, and several factors made that possible this spring including guidance from the CDC and local and national guidelines around COVID-19.”