Science World says it may reopen to the public later this summer and possibly sooner for summer camps after it closed doors in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April, the beloved waterfront science centre stated that it might be forced to permanently close doors due to a lack of revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic. After closing doors on March 13, it lost a whopping 85 per cent of its revenue immediately. As of April 6, the organization had to temporarily lay off its part-time staff and that all of its full-time staff have taken at least a 20% pay cut.
Janet Wood, President & CEO of Science World, tells Vancouver Is Awesome in an email that Science World is thoughtfully approaching its reopening as B.C. enters Phase 2.
"As we’re an interactive science centre, part of our work is re-engineering the experience at Science World to ensure the safety of our staff and visitors, while maintaining the fun of a visit to our facility," she writes.
"For example, we are looking at doing more live demos and science shows so that we can keep the entertaining and educational interactive experience that people know and love about us, while maintaining physical distancing."
Wood says that the organization anticipates that it will be open at some point during the summer. She adds that it is closely monitoring and following the advice of the experts at the BC Health Authorities and following the lead of other science centres across the country.
"When we do open we will adhere to new cleaning protocols and physical distancing guidelines," Woods explains. "We are also exploring the possibility of opening sooner just for summer camps. This could be a really helpful way for us to support our community at this time as parents start to go back to work.
"We know many people are eager to get back to Science World and we’re so grateful for the ongoing support from our community. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back when it’s safe to do so and when we can ensure our visitors will have the same kind of wonderful experience they’ve had in the past."
Originally constructed as part of the Expo 86 World Fair, Vancouver’s iconic geodesic dome opened its doors in 1986. The fair attracted a whopping 22 million visitors and put Vancouver on the world stage. Since then, the beloved science centre has welcomed 18 million visitors and counting.
