Gov. Doug Ducey lifted COVID-19 restrictions on Arizona businesses and events on Thursday, but that doesn’t seem to change much for some local theaters, arts and culture centers.
Phoenix Art Museum will continue to require masks, social distancing and limit groups of guests visiting the museum to 10 people or fewer.
“We are still holding true to our current guidelines, our senior staff is monitoring every day,” said Samantha Andreacchi, assistant director of communications at the Phoenix Art Museum.
“If we do end up making changes in the next couple weeks we will announce everything on our website and over email.”
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What Gov. Ducey’s latest order means
Gov. Ducey’s latest executive order means events with more than 50 people would not need government approval and businesses can resume regular operations, with safety measures now required considered recommendations.
Officials at the Herberger Theater Center are not planning any changes at its outdoor theater.
“We do not have plans to change our safety protocols including (6 feet) between seating pods and mask requirements. We are continuing to follow CDC guidance as is suggested in the executive order,” said marketing manager Mark Mettes Jr.
The Musical Instrument Museum, Children’s Museum of Phoenix and the Arizona Science Center will also require guests to continue to wear masks and practice social distancing.
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Scottsdale Arts drops mask requirement outdoors
Scottdale Arts which includes the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will also keep existing protocols in place, however, masks will not be required at outdoor events.
“We are happy to see Arizona recognized for its efficient vaccination schedule and greatly improved benchmarks. While we are eager to increase our audience capacity and lower restrictions to make the visitor experience more enjoyable — the safety of staff and patrons remains our top priority,” said Gerd Wuestemann, president & CEO of Scottsdale Arts.
“For our outdoor events, we will no longer require masks but will continue for the moment to require social distancing and utilize our lawn pods. We feel that with these measures, improving benchmarks and a gradual return to increased capacities, we can assure a safe and measured approach toward normalization of operations.”
Elizabeth Montgomery is arts and culture reporter for The Arizona Republic, azcentral.com. Reach her at [email protected] or 602-444-8764. Follow her on Twitter @emontnews.
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