Ensuring a Safe Welcome Back to The Met

We are thrilled to welcome our visitors back to The Met after more than five long months of closure. This has been a historic period in our 150 years, and a team of dedicated staff rose to meet the moment, ensuring that our buildings and our art were well cared for throughout. Essential workers guarded our halls, monitored the collection, and protected the well-being of our community. Over the last few weeks, more staff have returned to the Museum to install new exhibitions and prepare for our new safety measures. Thanks to these teams, the Museum is ready to reopen to the public.

In preparation for our reopening, The Met has adhered strictly to the guidelines set forth by the City and the State, and followed other public health best practices. This means that we have implemented several large changes to protect the health of our visitors and our staff. Notably, we will require everyone to wear masks and maintain social distancing and have enhanced our cleaning protocols. We are also implementing a new timed-entry ticketing system to help us manage flow into the building as we operate at 25% of our usual visitor capacity. You can learn more about what to expect during your visit here.

While much has changed at The Met and in the rest of our lives, we hope you will find comfort in some of the things that have not changed: our world-class collection and wide-ranging exhibitions. We invite you back to the Museum to explore our two million square feet, where there is always something new to uncover. In addition to extending the run of our exhibitions that were on display earlier this year, three new thought-provoking exhibitions are opening on August 29: Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle; Making The Met, 1870–2020; and The Roof Garden Commission: Héctor Zamora, Lattice Detour. And while we cannot hold in-person programs or events, we will continue to offer our engaging virtual programming online.

When you return to The Met, it will be impossible to miss the colossal new installation on our Fifth Avenue facade: DREAM TOGETHER (2020) by Yoko Ono. The months of our closure have seen suffering and strife around the world, but this striking new work is a testament to how important human connection is to our endurance. For over 150 years, individuals from around the world have come to The Met to connect with cultures and people from across time and place. Now more than ever, we know that art has the power to comfort and inspire us. We look forward to welcoming you back into our galleries to encounter the power of that experience in person once again.