Greater Cleveland Aquarium reopens with changes due to COVID-19; staff expects it to go ‘swimmingly’

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is the latest landmark to reopen; another sign of a return to normalcy.

“We’re allowing our guests to come back and interact and see all of our animals that everyone has missed over the last three months,” says General Manager Stephanie White. “Studies show that it will reduce stress and anxiety so people can come and take a break and relax with us and get up close with an animal.”

The aquarium will require staff to wear masks and recommend guests do so as well, will sell timed tickets to keep capacity at 25% for social distancing, and has implemented new sanitizing measures.

Monday was also a day to get all the animals back where they belong, like the stingrays in the touch tank.

“We didn’t have the guests, so the stingrays didn’t have that interaction so we moved them into a different exhibit,” says White, “We were able to drain the touch tank, save on electricity and save on our saltwater usage so the stingrays comes back today just like our pass holders.

Despite the fact many guests will be children, the staff assures the community it will be safe.

“Everyone’s a kid at heart here at the aquarium, right?,” asks White. “So, as long as we’re all mindful of everyone else in our building and in our galleries, then our guests should be able to have a great experience.”

You can purchase timed tickets at greaterclevelandaquarium.com

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