Dear Getty Community,

I write to you with an update on our phased reopening plans in light of the very concerning recent trend of increased COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in our region. You likely saw the news yesterday that Governor Newsom asked 19 counties where cases are escalating, including Los Angeles, to cease public indoor activities for at least the next three weeks.  This order impacts the opening of museums to the public, but does not impact employees working on site. We know that this means there is uncertainty around our reopening plans. 

We have been preparing in earnest to reopen the Getty Villa and Getty Center to public visitors in August, and to have more staff return to our sites later this month who are directly involved in supporting those visitor operations.  The health and well-being of our employees is our highest priority, and we will not reopen unless it is safe to do so. We will continue to monitor the local public health situation closely to determine whether our reopening timing is appropriate, or whether we will need to delay.  It is our hope to reopen only once, and not reopen only to close again a short time later.

Although there is still uncertainty, we will continue with our reopening preparations, as it will be important to be ready regardless of a specific reopening date.  There is still much work to do to ready our online ticket reservation system, install signage, establish socially-distanced visitor routes and cleaning protocols. However, please be aware that we may need to pause or delay our return of some staff under Phase 2b of our planning, which is currently scheduled for July 20.

In the meantime, we are going to be installing digital temperature checking equipment at the Getty Villa, Getty Center and Library Annex for employees to use before entering the workplace.  We strongly encourage all employees working on our sites to use the temperature monitoring stations, which will be private and will not capture any personal information. Contractors working on site are also conducting temperature monitoring.  And a temperature scan will be mandatory for all public visitors before entry.

I also want to note that when we do welcome members of the public back to our sites, we will be enforcing strict mask-wearing policies.  Just as we require all employees on site to wear masks, we will be requiring that all visitors wear masks, covering their nose and mouth, during their entire time on either of our sites. This will be strictly enforced—no mask, no entry.

Thank you for your dedication these past months, helping us execute our mission remotely, and for your enthusiastic work to help us prepare to again welcome visitors.  Be assured that we will not move forward unless we can protect the safety of everyone—employees and visitors alike.

Steve Olsen
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer