Due to the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic and in light of the requests and recommendations made by the office of the Presidency of South Africa, the Two Oceans Aquarium will temporarily close its doors to the public from Wednesday 18 March until Tuesday 14 April 2020. This will be the first time the Aquarium has closed since Christmas Day in 1996.
“We regard this situation as extremely serious and did not make this decision lightly. Many of our exhibits are interactive by nature and invite people to touch and explore. It is also difficult in the Aquarium for people to maintain physical distance while viewing our exhibits. After consultation with our owners and as a responsible tourism destination, we believe that a temporary closure is in the best interests of our staff, volunteers, members and general visitors. While our public-facing operations will be closed our animal husbandry and technical teams will continue to care for the animals while taking the necessary precautions to protect themselves against the spread of Covid-19,” said the Aquarium’s CEO Michael Farquhar. “We will review the situation in the weeks to come.”
This temporary closure extends to activities planned by the Aquarium including members’ sleepover, Trash Bash, and holiday workshops. It also includes the onsite school holiday programmes offered by the Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation, however, these programmes will now be made available online. The Aquarium will also not be open for events and conferences. Online day tickets purchased in advance of actual visits will be honoured or refunded and membership expiry dates will be extended to accommodate for the period during which the Aquarium is closed. Any other bookings made such as dives and penguin experiences can either be postponed or affected parties can request refunds.
Please visit our website for more information on all of the above https://www.aquarium.co.za/blog/entry/two-oceans-aquarium-closed-temporarily-in-response-to-covid-19-pandemic
For those who need a dose of “Vitamin Sea” please log on to the Aquarium’s website to view the webcam on the I&J Ocean Exhibit or follow the Aquarium on social media for images and video clips of animals and exhibits.
