As the omicron spike in COVID-19 cases continues to affect Floridians, St. Petersburg museums are doing their part to stop the spread.
The “Museums for Immunity” event on Sunday will give children and adults access to Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson boosters and vaccinations.
The Florida Department of Health, the Center for Health Equity, and the city’s Healthy St. Pete initiative will also be offering flu shots.
The event will take place from noon to 4 p.m.
Participating museums include The Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum (2240 Ninth Ave. S), The Florida Holocaust Museum (55 Fifth St. S), The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art (150 Central Ave.), The Dalí Museum (1 Dali Blvd.), and The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg (255 Beach Drive NE).
The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg is spearheading this initiative, according to Margaret Murray, Curator of Public Programs and Community Engagement.
“I think it’ll be a great public health initiative for the community,” she said. “This is just one more thing in our toolbox.”
She added that registration for the event is looking strong and she is thankful for the other museums participating in the initiative, which is an expansion of a national program.
“This was a larger federal project addressing needs of the unvaccinated across the U.S.,” she said. “We had reached out to our museum partners in St. Pete.”
Those partners are also offering different incentives, including free museum entry passes or free tote bags. The James Museum is offering two complimentary tickets for guests who attend.
“This event is a small part we can play in encouraging people to get vaccinated,” James Museum marketing director Victoria Doyle said, adding that she hopes this will encourage them to enjoy the arts more.
“In the end, this means more people will be able to come and enjoy the amazing cultural institutions we have in this area,” she said.
Deputy Director of the Dalí Museum Kathy White feels vaccinating people at these locations is ideal.
“We have nice grounds that people can wander around in and a store if they have to wait, probably better than a lot of places you might have to wait for a vaccine,” she said.
Admission for the Dalí Museum has changed slightly during the pandemic, White added: guests now have to purchase tickets in advance.
“We've been fortunate and I hope to continue to be and to see more people come safely,” she said.
The event may be expanded to future weekends or to different museums, depending on the success of this Sunday’s event.
Spots are limited, so advanced registration is recommended. Museum admission is not required to attend. For site-specific information, visit each museum’s website.
