Pro Football Hall of Fame Set to Reopen Wednesday

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will reopen to the public on Wednesday after being closed for nearly three months amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"Since its grand opening in September 1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame had never been closed more than two days in a row," said David Baker, Hall president and CEO. "So after nearly three months, you can imagine our excitement at being able to open our doors again to fans of this great game.

"We welcome them back and join them in honoring the heroes of the game, preserving its history, promoting its values and celebrating excellence everywhere."

The Hall took several steps to prepare to reopen its doors, including cleaning all areas in the building multiple times. Staff members have placed markings throughout the museum to help guests maintain proper physical distancing and to guide them in an orderly, one-way flow through the exhibits. 

All employees and volunteers will be required to wear a face covering, and guests will be encouraged to do the same. Stations with hand sanitizer have been placed throughout the museum, and a few "hands-on" exhibits will remain closed at this time.

Baker told ESPN's Jeff Legwold that the Hall of Fame's board of directors will meet on June 18 to create contingency plans for the Class of 2020 enshrinement ceremony, which is currently scheduled for Aug. 8. The Centennial Class, which was chosen as part of the NFL's 100th season in 2019, is also set to be enshrined on Sept. 18.

The Hall plans to move forward with holding the enshrinement ceremonies as scheduled and would like to have fans in attendance. It has also considered holding the Class of 2020 and centennial enshrinements on Sept. 18 or waiting until next summer for both enshrinements if events with crowds are not allowed in the coming weeks.

The Hall has debated holding virtual enshrinements, having ceremonies without fans in attendance, or not holding the annual parade, but it would "prefer to wait until they get clearance from health officials for fans to be able to attend."

This year's five modern-era enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2020 class include Troy Polamalu, Steve Hutchinson, Isaac Bruce, Steve Atwater and Edgerrin James.