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The longer term effects of lost opportunity and science are the most saddening.

It's just been closed for tours and public events. It's not the same, but you can take a virtual tour here: https://sites.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/visitor/virtualtour....

I think when we have people going to basketball games, we can tour science facilities. It’s absurd anyone would be so terrified of covid at this point.

My guess is that it's less about being terrified of COVID and more about wanting to avoid the irrational members of the public (you've seen the videos) who are performatively careless about taking even minimal precautions at best, and an active danger to others at worst.

We don’t call every person at a basketball game “irrational” or “active dangers to others.”

It’s truly time to let covid fears subside and fade away.

I’m much more concerned with irrational people who get angry with someone not wearing a mask than I am that the person not wearing a mask would be a risk to me.

> We don’t call every person at a basketball game “irrational” or “active dangers to others.”

Of course, and thankfully unhinged zealots are a small percentage of potential visitors. Still, my point is that it's hard to blame institutions that aren't mandated to have public access for avoiding the entire issue.

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