Miller Park Zoo will reopen Friday and has prepared ways to help keep visitors safe from COVID-19.
Only members will be allowed into the Bloomington zoo for opening weekend. On Monday, the zoo will open to the public.
Zoo Director Jay Tetzloff said there will be a one-way route through the zoo so big groups of people are not too close together. All buildings, carousel, concessions, and the petting zoo will be closed, and everyone is required to wear a mask.
The one-way traffic will be marked for people to see with paw prints on the ground—6 feet apart.
People will have to technically leave the zoo and come in through a back gate to reach the other part of the zoo so the route can remain one-way.
“Our zoo is not set up very well to do that inside the zoo, but we got creative,” Tetzloff.
Walk-up ticketing will not be available. Guests need to call (309) 434-2250 in to reserve a time slot, which is every half hour, and pay for tickets.
“Initially we thought that we were only allowed to have 50 people at a time, but new guidelines came out and we can have over 200 per hour, so that’s fantastic news,” Tetzloff said. “Hit more people, get more people into the zoo.”
The zoo will sell masks for the public and have hand sanitizer throughout the grounds. The staff also will be disinfecting the park every two hours.
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