At MOSH, staffers want imaginations -- not germs -- to run wild

Extra surface cleanings, closed exhibits help keep visitors safe at Jacksonville museum

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With many families keeping an eye on what's happening with the coronavirus, some may be tempted to avoid traveling altogether this Spring Break and instead enjoy a staycation in town.

Families are known to visit the Museum of Science and History, or MOSH, time of year, and the popular spot is taking precautions -- but still encouraging fun.

From the outside, MOSH is all business. But indoors, imagination runs wild.

But museum staff are making sure germs don't.

A couple of exhibits are closed, and museum staffers are cleaning more.

A couple exhibits at MOSH are closed, and museum staff are cleaning more. (WJXT)

That’s especially important with roughly 60 kids enrolled in Spring Break camp at the museum right now.

"Keeping surfaces clean much more regularly than we normally do, limiting the traveling of staff,” said Eddie Whisler, MOSH's vice president of education services.

Whisler showed News4Jax how signs have been posted inside restrooms, advising people to wash their hands the right way.

And when a bathroom is being cleaned, it's temporarily closed off. What's more, Whisler said, certain exhibits, including "Kids Space" right up front, have been closed for the time being.

"We've closed Kids Space so that we can focus our attention on the public areas that have smooth surfaces and are easy to clean,” he explained.

With smooth surfaces throughout, MOSH is all about touch and feel. Whisler said they're also making sure campers stay on track with good habits.

MOSH is all about touch and feel. (WJXT)

"Proper sanitation practices in terms of handwashing, covering sneezes and coughs, and all those kinds of things that the CDC is definitely focusing on at this point,” Whisler said.

This way, little minds can wander freely, but safely.

Whisler said the closed exhibits will remain closed until they’re given the OK to lift them. In the meantime, he encourages people to come out and enjoy themselves, but wash their hands and stay clean.


About the Author:

Ashley Harding joined the Channel 4 news team in March 2013. She reports for and anchors The Morning Show.