Short staffing caused by COVID-19 outbreaks will continue to disrupt Smithsonian operations for the first two weeks of January.

The Smithsonian announced on Monday that the National Air and Space Muesum and the Anacostia Community Musuem will be closed completely starting Wednesday through Jan. 17.  The four most-visited museums — The National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Arts and Industries Building — will be open five days a week. The National Zoo will also be open five days a week. Only the Smithsonian Institution Building (also known as “The Castle”) and the Steven F. Udcar-Hazy Center in Virginia will be open daily. Others are opening between two and four days a week, on various days of the week.

In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for the Smithsonian said the scheduling changes were made in order to “reposition key staff across [Smithsonian] museums as needed while ensuring that museums remain open to the public each day of the week.”

For a full schedule of Smithsonian operations, click here. 

Original:

The Smithsonian is closing five of its museums for several days while the region — and Smithsonian employees — experience a surge in COVID-19 infections.

The National Museum of African Art, the National Postal Museum, the Anacostia Community Museum, and the National Museum of Asian Art (formerly known as the Freer and Sackler galleries) will close Dec. 29. The National Museum of Natural History will also close, starting Dec. 30. All are scheduled to reopen Jan. 3, with the exception of Natural History, which is normally closed Mondays and Tuesdays and will reopen Jan. 5.

The closures are driven by an uptick in COVID infections among employees, according to a statement from the Smithsonian.

“Over the last few days, the Smithsonian has seen an increase in positive COVID cases and associated quarantine periods among our essential and operational staff. The closures of these four museums will allow the Smithsonian to reallocate staff and keep all other museums open for the remainder of the week,” says a press release issued Wednesday. The Smithsonian later decided to close Natural History temporarily at the request of Director Kirk Johnson, according to an email sent to staff by Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch.

Four of the affected museums are among the least popular Smithsonian destinations in D.C. The Anacostia Community Museum netted just over 8,000 visits in 2019, according to official numbers; the Freer and Sackler galleries, combined, attracted less than half a million visits. But the National Museum of Natural History is the institution’s most popular destination, with 4.2 million visits recorded in 2019.

Following the local Smithsonian closures and reopenings has been a bit of a roller coaster since the pandemic set in. After reopening with COVID protocols in the summer of 2020, several museums shut their doors again in the fall, as case numbers in the region spiked again. Earlier this year, they opened again, some with timed-entry passes. Meanwhile, the National Air and Space Museum is set to close in March 2022 for at least six months for renovations.

“The Smithsonian strives to keep as many of our museums open to the public as possible without sacrificing the health and safety of our visitors and staff,” says a statement from the federal institution.

This story has been updated to include the most recent information about Smithsonian closures.