On March 12, there were 1.264 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, and 36 deaths. About 357 of those cases were in New York alone — the city was starting to become the epicenter of the pandemic in the country.
On that day, major cultural institutions of New York announced temporary closures: among them were the Metropolitan Museum, the Solomon J. Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Read the official statement by the Met Museum Director regarding the pandemic:
