CHICAGO — A select number of movie theaters and local attractions closed due to the pandemic were given the green light to reopen Friday.
That's good news for Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. The downtown staple reopened to members Friday. Beginning Saturday, the aquarium will be open to locals who make an online reservation.
"I've been here about a decade now and my husband is a Chicago native," said Katherine Korey, whose family were among the many to check out Shedd Aquarium on Friday.
The tripped marked a first for Korey's son.
"Its his first trip to the Shedd and really anywhere other than his grandparents house," Korey said.
But the aquarium looks a bit different — with hand sanitizer and social distancing signs available to keep everyone safe.
"The staff has been doing a fantastic job making sure everyone knows where to go and enter and exit. We felt extremely safe during our whole visit," Korey said.
Locals looking to explore more than the aquarium can also catch a film on the big screen this weekend. Cinemark Theatres announced its plan to reopen seven locations across Illinois Friday after being closed for two months.
"All of our theaters opened with enhanced protocols which we’ve called the Cinemark standard," said Caitlin Piper, Cinemark's Senior Manager for Public Relations. "We’ve been working closely with local health agencies and following local ordinances."
The seven Cinemark Theatres expected to open Friday are:
- Cinemark Movies 10: 1600 North State Route 50, Bourbonnais IL
- Century 16 Deer Park: 21600 W. Field Parkway, Deer Park IL
- Cinemark Louis Joliet Mall: 3340 Mall Loop Drive, Joliet IL
- Cinemark Melrose Park: 1001 West North Ave, Melrose Park IL
- Cinemark Tinseltown USA: 320 South Lincolnway, North Aurora IL
- Cinemark Spring Hill Mall and XD: 2000 Spring Hill Mall, West Dundee IL
- Cinemark @ Seven Bridges and IMAX: 6500 Route 53, Woodridge IL
Opening at 50% capacity, Piper says masks will be mandatory. Plans to disinfect between films, as well as fewer moviegoers per show, will also be implemented.
"All of our theaters across the [United States] closed on March 18 of 2020," Piper said. "We were fortunate to reopen in Illinois in the fall, but we did close again with local mandates in mid-November, so we are really excited. It's been a few months and we are eager to welcome everyone in the Illinois area back."