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The National Gallery is expected to become the first of England’s big museums and galleries to reopen, followed by others staggering their opening times to help prevent pressure on public transport.
Museums such as Tate Modern, the British Museum and the V&A will announce their plans in the coming days. But first up, the Guardian understands, will be the National Gallery in London.
Boris Johnson has announced that England’s museums, galleries and cinemas can reopen from 4 July.
The news has been welcomed by museum bosses but they say they will proceed with extreme caution.
In a joint statement, the directors of Tate, Science Museum Group, the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery, the British Museum and the V&A said: “As directors of some of the UK’s leading national museums, we welcome the prime minister’s announcement to allow the safe reopening of our galleries to the public this summer. We will now work closely with government, trade unions and supporters to see how and when we can open our doors again in a financially sustainable manner, for the long term.
“The British public have faced a wretched few months of isolation, loss and anxiety in confronting the Covid-19 pandemic. The reopening of museums – whose galleries speak to the creative, resilient power of the human spirit – will provide solace and inspiration as Britain looks to the future.
“Museums live through the conversation between object and visitor. Our collections are held in trust not to be hidden away, but to be discussed, challenged and loved: a role of particular significance as we reflect on current debates around crucial issues including racial equality, social justice, and climate change.”
People over 60 or with health issues should wear a medical-grade mask when they are out and cannot socially distance, according to new guidance from the World Health Organization, while all others should wear a three-layer fabric mask.
The WHO guidance, announced on 5 June, is a result of research commissioned by the organisation. It is still unknown whether the wearers of masks are protected, say its experts, but the new design it advocates does give protection to other people if properly used.
The WHO says masks should be made of three layers – with cotton closest to the face, followed by a polypropylene layer and then a synthetic layer that is fluid-resistant. These are no substitute for physical distancing and hand hygiene, it says, but should be worn in situations where distancing is difficult, such as on public transport and at mass demonstrations.
The WHO has been reluctant to commit to recommending face coverings, firstly because the evidence on whether they offer any protection to the public is limited and – more importantly – because it was afraid it would lead to shortages of medical-grade masks for health workers.
Sarah Boseley Health editor
Tim Marlow, the director of the Design Museum in London, said he was keen to launch the electronic music exhibition, which had been due to open on 1 April.
“We were hoping and anticipating there would be some movement so, cautiously, this is music to my ears,” he said. “We’ve been ready to go for some time, in terms of content, but we are still working through logistics.”
Those logistics will include a one-way system, extended opening hours but reduced capacity, with visitors having to book time slots, new signage and hand sanitisers, some of them from a design competition the museum ran earlier this year.
For all museums and galleries, questions remain about the economics of operating with fewer people, and over how nervous visitors will be.
Marlow said reducing physical distancing from 2 metres to 1 would help. “If [it] is halved, it will just give us a bit more leeway but we have to start cautiously. We always were and we still will,” he said.
“The key is to try to build public confidence, and it is easier to learn how the public responds to your spaces by starting a little cautiously and seeing if you can build capacity that way.”
National museums and galleries are expected to make announcements on reopening in the coming days, although it is understood the process will be staggered so as not to overload public transport.
Iwona Blazwick, the director of the Whitechapel Gallery in east London, said she hoped to reopen in mid-July. “We have been counting the days,” she said. “It has been so tragic to have all these wonderful things on display and locked away like sleeping beauties, so we are really excited to be able to welcome people back.”
The gallery will have a one-way system, a timed-and-booked entry scheme and staff will wear “art visors” made at Goldsmiths.
Blazwick does not expect significant problems. “People are used to navigating their way round supermarkets and we have a lot more space,” she said. “Culture now is going to be really crucial for people so we are over the moon.”
Caro Howell, the director of the Foundling Museum in London, said it would reopen on 8 July with its exhibition Portraying Pregnancy: from Holbein to Social Media, extended until 23 August.
“We are delighted and can’t wait to welcome visitors back,” she said. “We have instituted timed tickets, a single route through the museum to ensure distancing measures are adhered to and enhanced hygiene throughout the building, so everyone can feel safe.”
Paul Hobson, the director of Modern Art Oxford, plans to reopen in mid-August. He said: ““Museums and galleries like ours are typically spacious places where visitors can manage their distance from each other and are generally ‘do not touch’ environments.
“We will limit numbers and routes taken in the building which, with additional hygiene measures throughout, will reassure our audiences that they can enjoy our world class programming without concern for their health.”
The expected announcement from the government will not include performing arts venues such as theatres and concert halls. While few in the sector had been expecting to open in July, fears remain that the industry faces ruin without targeted further government help.
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