YOUNGSTOWN — Tyler History Center temporarily will close to the public beginning today and remain closed until further notice, the Mahoning Valley Historical Society announced.

Rapidly rising public health concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio and the Mahoning Valley prompted this decision by the organization. No MVHS staff, guides or volunteers have been diagnosed with the virus at this time, MVHS stated in a news release.

The Arms Family Museum, MVHS’s other facility on Wick Avenue, had closed for the holiday season on Monday.

H. William Lawson, MVHS executive director, said: “It’s increasingly clear that we must minimize the risk of exposure at our facilities for visitors and staff, given the turn of the virus with a new wave of cases and deaths. MVHS has been working hard to safely implement in-person shopping and displays for the holidays but we will now rethink those plans. Our online holiday programming will not change at this time.”

A members-only preview, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, is now canceled. All Tyler History Center rentals have been canceled through at least March 2021. All updates regarding operations and programming will be available through the MVHS web site at https://mahoninghistory.org.

If the public has any questions about MVHS public health policies, facility security, or event scheduling, they may contact Dave Ragan, communications manager, at 330-743-2589, Ext. 122 or dragan@mahoninghistory.org for information or assistance.