Since its subterranean galleries opened in 2014, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan has depended upon income from millions of visitors to pay for programming, operating costs and security. Now, deprived of ticket revenue because of the coronavirus pandemic and facing a deficit of up to $45 million over the next year, the organization has started a fund-raising campaign and resorted to furloughs and layoffs that affect almost 60 percent of its staff. “We’ve had to make difficult and painful decisions to forestall the deficit and address the loss of revenue,” the memorial and museum’s president and chief executive, Alice M. Greenwald, said in a statement, adding: “It is not easy to let go of dear friends and colleagues who have contributed so much to this sacred place.”Although the outdoor memorial is scheduled to reopen on July 4, the museum is expected to remain closed for now, in accordance with city and state guidelines.

Source: New York Times June 21, 2020 19:30 UTC