We're Back! Here's How We Got There....

April 11, 2022 Posted by: DJ Richardson

On Wednesday, April 6, 2022, Harry S Truman National Historic Site reopened the Truman Home for tours and reopened the visitor center.

We were ecstatic. Joyful. Yet a bit apprehensive.

Here's how we got there.

Most of us on the staff had never heard of the word "coronavirus" until early 2020. It wasn't until we heard of a new disease eminating from China that people were keeping eyes on. In early March, 2020, the first patients were diagnosed and hospitalized in the Kansas City metro.

By mid-March peripheral concern had grown to emergency. The National Park Service provided its first COVID-19 risk analysis tools, and many of us completing them weren't quite sure what we were talking about. By March 16, events were moving quickly, and bv March 17, 2020, this park transitioned from concern to immediate closure within the span of hours. Literally.

At first, we anticipated the closure to be only a few weeks, until the spread of the disease could be contained. Then the local governments instituted stay-at-home orders that lasted into May, 2020. So we took advantage of the time and purchased what equipment, materials and personal-protective material we thought needed to reopen.

But once the stay-at-home orders ended, cases in the Kansas City metro continued to climb. Restrictions on crowd size were potentially affecting how we could operate. But each new risk assessment showed more red, meaning significant risk to staff, volunteers, and visitors.

With each new risk assessment, we set an internal goal for when we thought we could reopen and offer the services we love to offer. But going into late 2020, another surge in cases and hospitalizations caused another delay. Then another. Then another. Then another.

By the fall of 2021, we were desperately hoping to reopen and move on, and then perhaps the worst surge in the Kansas City metro happened. By Thanksgiving and Christmas, 2021, every metric was dismal. Case counts per 100,000 people were the highest ever. At some points, close to 45% of COVID-19 tests were positive. Hospitals were buckling under the pressure. We remained closed.

But then, come February, 2022, there was some light emerging from the end of the tunnel. Throughout February, all of these metrics decreased substantially. We set another date...April 6, 2022. That one held.

There was a lot to prepare for. We had to anticipate everything that minimized risk in the visitor center, the Truman Home, and offices. Particularly the Truman Home. As a historic home, social distancing is already difficult. Same with cramped offices and workspaces. But we made it work.

So on April 6, 2022, we welcomed our first visitors back in person, and it was a wonderful feeling. One gentleman said "I've been waiting for two years...so glad you're back!"  So were we. We were thrilled to see our visitors, and thrilled to be back doing what we love.

During this pandemic, in most ways the park continued to function well. Our administration team brilliantly managed the business aspects of operations, our facilities team worked on a lot of great projects, our curators took care of the Truman collection and museum collections of over a dozen other National Park units, and Rangers offered tons of online programs.

But it felt so good to be back, serving the visitors we adore so much. For those who came to see us last week, thank you! For those who haven't, come and see us!

We've adapted our schedule a little. We're now closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Why? It allows us to consolidate the staff that we have, and allows us to increase the number of tours of the Truman Home daily. And it will allow us to staff the Truman Farm...we'll announce a start date for that soon.

Please come explore Independence and all that it offers!