HONOLULU (KHON2) — City and County Mayor Kirk Caldwell has submitted a proposal to the governor’s desk to reopen barbershops and salons Friday, as well as the Honolulu Zoo on June 5. He’s also proposing to reopen theaters and museums on June 19.
One of the museums that would be allowed to reopen is the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center, which has moved its hands-on learning online.
“When we switched during our closure, we spent a lot of time thinking about how we could still bring those same hands on learning ideas into homes,” said Liane Usher, Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center president.
She said they have turned to offering learning through online videos on social media and their website, as well as online classes. They offer story times and art and science activities.
“The pictures and the feedback we’ve gotten from parents are really inspirational because we know it’s not easy to do all this at home but they’re doing their best,” said Usher.
Now with Mayor Kirk Caldwell announcing a possible date to reopen, Usher said they’re getting to work with preparations to reopen the center.
“It definitely gives us a deadline to look forward to. I think just because the nature of our business and our audience being families, we would probably be extra cautious, and so we wouldn’t push necessarily to open right at that date, until we know that we have all of our safety measures in place,” said Usher.
Usher said these past few weeks, they have been coming up with ideas of how to keep everyone safe, along with frequent handwashing and social distancing. One idea is rotating out props in certain exhibit areas and also timed ticket entries.
“Limiting the amount of time one group can be in at one time, and in addition, cleaning throughout the day while visitors are there, cleaning in between times when groups can come in,” said Usher.
Along with museums, movie theaters would also be allowed to reopen on June 19.
KHON reached out to Consolidated Theatres and it said it didn’t have any reopening plans to share just yet.
However, on its website, it’s selling tickets for some July showings for movies that have already made their run in theaters.
Meanwhile, the Honolulu Zoo could be open as early as Friday.
It recently allowed Honolulu Zoo Society members back to the facility, but with some new changes. Face masks are required and pathways are now marked for one-way foot traffic.
Guests are also warned that they may have to wait to get in, as capacity is limited to ensure social distancing.
Governor David Ige has not indicated yet if and when he will sign off on Mayor Caldwell’s proposal.
