The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is forcing a local historic site to temporarily close their doors to the public for the second time this year.
Keith Hart with the Joslyn Castle tells WOWT 6 News that rising coronavirus numbers are making them close their doors. “Watching the numbers it just seemed to indicate, this might be a good time to try and help control the numbers by just taking a little break."
The break for the Joslyn Castle will last the next two months, until January 31st. “We don’t really want to encourage people to gather in groups when it’s just not the safest thing to do,” Hart said.
December is usually a popular time of year for the castle, with visitors coming to see the elaborate decorations put on display for the Christmas holiday season. but now, guests will have to watch the celebrations online or from the castle grounds. “There will be another December next year,” Hart said with a chuckle.
Combined, Joslyn Castle will have been closed for four months in 2020 and one month in 2021.
Hart hopes their decision might inspire other holiday favorite spots to reconsider their plans. “If the fact that we closed our doors to help reduce the risk for a little while, I hope somebody else follows that example,” Hart explained. “We didn’t want to be the last one to arrive at that decision when it’s clearly the right thing to do.”
Joslyn Castle’s virtual celebrations kick off Tuesday at 6 p.m. with their virtual tree lighting ceremony, which you can see here.
(Photo by Leigh Waldman / WOWT 6 News)