Chicago planetarium lays off 120 employees due to pandemic

CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago's lakefront planetarium will lay off 120 part-time and full-time employees because of revenue loss during the coronavirus pandemic.

Adler Planetarium officials said they anticipate continued revenue declines and reductions were made across the organization, which just celebrated its 90th year.

'œThe Adler made the difficult decision to reduce our staff in order to help the Adler survive and continue to serve Chicago and the world in the post-pandemic future,'ť Jennifer Howell, senior manager of public relations, said in an email.

She said it is clear the planetarium won't be reopening for awhile. Gov. J.B. Pritzker's plan calls for certain metrics be met before certain businesses reopen to the public. His most recent stay-at-home order expires at the end of the month.

The planetarium had 308 employees when it filed its 2018 federal taxes, according to The Chicago Tribune.