LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Muhammad Ali Center reopened this week after being closed since mid-December due to the rise in COVID-19 cases at the time. This week’s reopening of the international cultural center, with a museum dedicated to Muhammad Ali’s life and legacy, also timed well for some visitors’ spring break vacations.

Erica Tealey was happy to see the Ali Center reopen this week so her and her family could visit during their spring break vacation.

“I was definitely determined to come here,” said Tealey, who traveled with her family from Minneapolis, Minn. Louisville was a stop along the way to the Great Smoky Mountains and Tealey wanted her family to visit the museum because she had heard great things about the Ali Center from her sister. She also said two of her sons have recently been reading and learning about “The Greatest of All Time.”

“I hear a lot about, you know, ‘[Float] like a butterfly, sting like a bee,’ and so I thought this would be a great educational experience for them, as well,” Tealey said.

Muhammad Ali Spokesperson, Jeanie Kahnke, told Spectrum News 1 the Ali Center closed in mid-December because of an uptick in COVID-19 cases before the holidays. “Out of caution, for sure, because [COVID-19] rates were going up,” Kahnke told Spectrum News 1 over the phone. 

Kahnke said with the current rate of COVID-19 cases in Kentucky steadying and having declined, including cases also going down nationally, and with the COVID-19 vaccines rolling out at a rapid pace, that the Ali Center decided to reopen again this week. Prior to December, the Ali Center previously closed on March 14, 2020 due to the pandemic and reopened in July last year.

There are a number of COVID-19 precautions in place, such as temperature checks and masks required. Visitors are also encouraged to buy tickets online to minimize person-to-person contact.

Kahnke said the Ali Center comfortably holds 3,000 people at a time. The center features over 25,000 square feet of exhibit space.

Some areas of the Muhammad Ali Center have a capacity limit, such as the temporary exhibit “Truth Be Told: The Policies that Impacted Black Lives."

“We currently do not have capacity limits right now because visitors can spread out on multiple floors. We will review again, if we need to, as summer visitation goes into full swing,” Kahnke said in a text message.

While the Ali Center itself doesn’t have a capacity limit, inside there are certain areas that do. For example, the orientation theatre is limited to 40 people and only five people are allowed at a time in the gift shop.

All of the exhibits are open, but reminders of precautions to take during the pandemic are all around, from markers on the floor to help people socially distance to hand sanitizer readily available throughout the Ali Center.

The Ali Center also extended its temporary exhibit “Truth Be Told: The Policies that Impacted Black Lives” through Feb. 27, 2022. On the walls, plywood panels with street art, which were used to board up buildings during the Louisville protests, serve as a backdrop for the exhibit that explores policies throughout history that are linked to systematic racism in the Unites States.

Andre Mitchell visiting from Atlanta Saturday didn’t know the Ali Center had just reopened this week, but he was glad it did because he had it on his itinerary.

"Everybody’s wearing masks. Everybody is being respectful of each other‘s distance, and so I felt comfortable and safe being here,” Mitchell said.

Tealey said she felt fine and that people seemed to be maintaining their social distance in the center.

“I think about [it] in comparison to even going to the grocery store or something, and it’s a big place, so yeah, I feel safe,” Tealey said.

The Muhammad Ali Center is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. While visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets online, on-site tickets are also available. More information visit the Muhammad Ali Center website.