DENVER — After being closed for nearly three months due to COVID-19 concerns, the Denver Zoo will reopen this week.
The zoo will open Wednesday for members and the general public on Friday. Tickets for Friday's opening are on sale now.
A visit to the zoo will be different as zoo officials make sweeping changes to stay in compliance with local and state guidelines.
Masks will be required for guests three and older, and the zoo will limit the number of visitors per day using timed tickets with staggered 15-minute entry windows that must be purchased online. Admission lines will also be marked for distancing.
Other changes include a one-way path around the park that visitors must follow to maintain social distancing. Regularly scheduled animal demonstrations and encounters have been modified to minimize contact, and buildings, attractions, exhibits and play areas will be closed, except Stingray Cove, which opens mid-June.
The Denver Zoo closed March 17 as the COVID-19 pandemic began to peak in Colorado. The following week, the zoo announced hundreds of job eliminations, lay-offs and furloughs amid "an unprecedented loss of revenue." It's not clear how many employees are returning.
