When workers at Infinity Science Center close the doors on December 30, 2020, they will do so not knowing when they’ll reopen them again.
When workers at Infinity Science Center close the doors on Wednesday, December 30, 2020, they will do so not knowing when they’ll be able to reopen them again.
WLOX News has learned Infinity’s board of directors has decided to close the science center for the beginning of 2021. Executive Director Jill Senn calls the closure “temporary,” but the board has not announced a reopening date.
As in the case with so many closings this year, Senn blames the coronavirus pandemic.
“Unfortunately the timing was terrible for us,” Senn told WLOX News.
The shutdown across the state from mid-March to June was detrimental to the Hancock County facility. That’s one of the busiest times for school field trips, the center’s “bread and butter.”
“If it [the shutdown] would have happened at any other time, it wouldn’t have affected us like this. Unfortunately, it happened at our peak time.”
Senn went on to say the number of visitors drastically dropped in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. People aren’t traveling I-10, flying into New Orleans or Gulfport, and so there just aren’t as many tourists coming in to visit Infinity.
One more loss for the center: The board made the difficult decision to make significant layoffs.
Originally published at WLOX