KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National World War I Museum and Memorial will close through April 3 following Kansas City, Missouri’s state of emergency declaration.

The museum is closing at 5 p.m. March 14. All March programming is canceled or will be rescheduled, according to a news release.

Matthew Naylor, National WWI Museum and Memorial president and CEO, said in the release that the organization believes closure “is the best course of action.”

“The history shared at the museum and memorial teaches us that pandemics are best managed when communities work in partnership,” Naylor said in the release. “Failure to do so can change the course of history. The health and safety of our community, guests, staff and volunteers is our top priority. Moving forward, we’ll continue to work with public health agencies to continually reassess the situation and act accordingly.”

The exterior grounds will still be open to the public.