The Milwaukee Public Museum will be closed temporarily because of staffing shortages caused by rising COVID cases

The Milwaukee Public Museum will be closed Monday through Wednesday because of staffing shortages resulting from the rise in COVID-19 cases.

“With a few key staff members in essential operational roles currently quarantining or awaiting test results, the museum is proactively closing for a few days to accommodate for the impact of those absences,” Milwaukee Public Museum President and CEO Ellen Censky said in a statement from the museum Friday. “The health, safety and wellbeing of those who enter our building is paramount, and unfortunately, we cannot safely operate without certain staffing levels in critical departments.”

The museum already had several safety protocols in place, including requiring masks for all staff and visitors 3 and older. According to the statement, 97% of the museum's employees are vaccinated, and those who are unvaccinated must be tested weekly for COVID-19.

The museum said it will post updates on its reopening plans on its website (mpm.edu) and on its social media channels.

People who have purchased tickets for the museum on those now-closed dates can get a refund or transfer their tickets to a future date.

COVID-19 cases have been surging to record levels in Wisconsin and Milwaukee in recent weeks thanks to the rise of the fast-spreading omicron variant.

Contact Chris Foran at chris.foran@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @cforan12.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Public Museum to close temporarily due to COVID-19