Museums, galleries and other visitor attractions in Scotland will begin reopening from 15 July as the country moves into phase three of its route map out of lockdown.
First minister Nicola Sturgeon told parliament yesterday that the government would take a staged approach to phase 3 of easing restrictions. "It will not, and should not, feel like a return to normal life yet," the government said in a statement, although it said the country's positive progress "has allowed us to move slightly faster". The government recently published guidance to help museums and galleries prepare for reopening.
The government has made face coverings mandatory in enclosed spaces, but is relaxing the two-metre distancing rule for sectors such as hospitality and retail, provided mitigations are in place.
In a collective statement, Museums Galleries Scotland, National Museums Scotland, The National Galleries of Scotland, Glasgow Life, V&A Dundee and Industrial Museums Scotland said they “warmly welcome” the announcement.
They said: “We are looking forward to greeting our visitors once again. While we are collaborating as a sector to support and share knowledge of how to best welcome back visitors, we will be reopening at varying times starting this summer and will make our individual announcements as soon as we are each able to do so.
“Reopening involves individual logistical challenges which we are approaching with a focus on protecting the health and safety of our visitors and employees whilst ensuring a quality visitor experience. We are all becoming more familiar with physical distancing and additional hygiene measures in our public spaces, and museums and galleries are similarly preparing in line with government guidelines. Training will enable our dedicated teams to continue to provide excellent customer support before and during visits.”
The museums and galleries said they welcomed VisitBritain’s recent introduction of a “We’re Good to Go” industry standard that visitor attractions can display on their premises to demonstrate they are adhering to public health guidance.
They said: “We support the introduction of the UK-wide ‘We’re Good to Go’ certification in reassuring all our visitors, staff and volunteers that they can be confident of their safety.
“We know that our visitors are eager to visit as soon as possible so we will be encouraging them to check our opening details online before they visit. In many cases, temporary ticketing systems will allow the booking of timed slots to enjoy our sites and our collections."
The statement cautioned that the sector would take a gradual approach to reopening and that some museums would remain closed for the time being.
“Some museums and galleries may operate on different days or times and some may open partially so checking in advance will help visitors to prepare for any temporary experiential changes. Some museums and galleries, including those operating seasonally or reliant on the support of volunteers, may delay reopening until they are financially and operationally able to do so. We will continue to connect digitally with our communities.
“Scotland’s museums and galleries and the collections they care for and display play a vital economic, educational and placemaking role in our rural and urban communities. The pandemic has been challenging for all, and collectively, we would like to express our gratitude to the public for their ongoing engagement and support.
"We look forward to doing all we can to support Scotland’s recovery as soon as is safely possible, through spaces and collections that bring us together, comfort, educate, spark conversations and inspire creativity.”
Scotland's cultural institutions have been shuttered since at least 20 March, when the first minister asked all social venues to close.
