American Museum Of Natural History Closes As COVID-19 Precaution

UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN — The American Museum of Natural History will close indefinitely Friday due to concerns over the coronavirus, according to the museum.

The Central Park West museum announced late Thursday that it would temporarily close the museum to the public starting Friday after Gov. Andrew Cuomo's announcement that all gatherings of 500 people or more would be banned in New York to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

"This action is in keeping with our commitment to maintaining a healthy and safe environment, as well as with our responsibility to follow directives from the City, State, and Federal governments to contain the spread of the COVID–19 virus," museum officials said.

The museum did not reveal when their facility might reopen, but said they will keep the public updated.

The news is the latest closure on the Upper West Side and across the city as New York City enters a a state of emergency surrounding the coronavirus as of Thursday night. There have been 95 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York City as of Friday, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.

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Also on the Upper West Side, the New York Philharmonic and the Met Opera at Lincoln Center have both canceled shows until the end of the month. All three library systems in New York City have also closed to public events.

Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus case tracker reported Friday morning 1,701 confirmed in the U.S. with one death in New Jersey, 31 deaths in Washington state, one in South Dakota, one in Georgia, four in California and two in Florida.

There are 328 New York state cases, according to the tracker.