How will the new Covid restrictions in England affect museums?

Staff working in front-of-house, hospitality and retail settings in English museums will be required to wear face coverings under new restrictions introduced by the UK Government to curb the spread of Covid.

The latest government guidance says that it is "compulsory for retail, leisure and hospitality staff to wear a face covering in areas that are open to the public and where they come or are likely to come within close contact of a member of the public".

The new rule is one of a number of measures that will come into force in England on Thursday 24 September in response to the rising number of infections.

In a tightening of existing Covid guidelines, museums will now have a legal obligation to ensure their visitors are complying with mandatory safety measures such as face coverings.

A Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) spokesman said this legal requirement can be met “through prominent display of signs, and/or verbal reminders to customers”. Exemptions remain for those who are unable to wear face masks for certain reasons.

There will also be a legal requirement for businesses to ensure that their visitors are complying with the Rule of Six, and to ensure appropriate social distancing “through signage, layout, ventilation and entry numbers management”.

Test and Trace

A new NHS contact tracing app has been launched for England and Wales. There is a requirement for hospitality venues, including cafes and restaurants within museums, to refuse entry to customers and visitors who do not provide the relevant contact details for Test and Trace, or have not checked in with the QR code. This means that:

• all visitors in a group can be admitted provided that at least one of the group provides their name and contact details and agrees to be the ‘lead member’, or all of the group have checked in using the QR code.
• if no member of a group provides their name and contact details, all the group must be refused entry, with the exception of individuals who check-in using the QR code.

The Museums Association's policy manager, Alistair Brown, said he was seeking further clarification on this requirement. He said: "I am concerned that the distinction between the regulations for cafes and restaurants and the wider museum venue will lead to confusion about how many times Test and Trace details will need to be collected.

"Essentially, museums will need to collect the same info separately at the museum entrance and at the cafe entrance. And the introduction of the NHS Test and Trace App means that museums may have three separate systems for recording people’s details – the official app, the QR reader app they were using before the launch of the official app, and the basic pen-and-paper version. We are trying to get more clarity on this at the moment."

Food and drink

The new regulations also mandate that table service must be introduced in premises where alcohol is sold and that businesses serving food and drink must close at 10pm.

The new rules also stipulate that people will need to be seated when consuming food or drink. This means that museums will need to:

• take reasonable steps to ensure that customers only consume food and drink while seated.
• if the business serves alcohol for consumption on the premises, to only take orders for food and drink from customers who are seated and only serve them while they are seated. The business must also take reasonable steps to ensure that customers only consume food and drink while seated.

The government states: "The purpose of this policy is to reduce the amount of time that customers spend at the ordering counter, which in turn will reduce the risk of transmission from mingling with people you do not live with. Preventing ordering or collection of food and drink at a counter or bar in businesses that sell alcohol for consumption on the premises will limit the risk of transmission even further in premises that carry increased risk."

Working from home

The government has also rowed back on its earlier advice and is urging workers who can work effectively from home to do so over the winter.

The DCMS spokesman said: “Where an employer, in consultation with their employee, judges an employee can carry out their normal duties from home they should do so.

"Public sector employees working in essential services should continue to go into work where necessary. Anyone else who cannot work from home should go to their place of work. The risk of transmission can be substantially reduced if Covid-19 secure guidelines are followed closely.  Extra consideration should be given to those people at higher risk.”

The government confirmed last week that guided tours of up to 30 people can go ahead in England as long as different groups on the tour observe the Rule of Six and social distancing is ensured between groups.

Prime minister Boris Johnson has indicated that the new measures may remain in place for up to six months, and that more stringent restrictions could be introduced if the virus continues to spread exponentially.

Brown, said: “Obviously these new restrictions are a blow to the sector as it tries to bring in visitors and get back on its feet. Nevertheless, what we are seeing today is not as severe as the full lockdown in March.

“Museums will be able to continue opening to the public under the new rules announced today – but they will need to redouble their efforts to ensure that staff and visitors are safe. That may mean making changes to your signage or how your cafe operates – and there are increasingly tough penalties for those who don’t comply.

“We will continue to do all that we can to make the case for investment in our museums and to support everyone that works in and with our museums in this challenging new phase.”

More stringent local lockdowns have been introduced in a number of English regions, including the north-west, Yorkshire and the Midlands.  

More information is available in the National Museum Directors' Council's good practice guidelines on opening museums.

Scotland

Similar measures are being rolled out in Scotland, although there are variations in the rules.  First minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that, from Friday 25 September, all pubs and restaurants in Scotland will be mandated to close at 10pm. She also confirmed that groups of six must be made up of people from no more than two households. Children under 12 are exempt from the Rule of Six. A ban on meeting in houses has been extended across the country.  

Wales

Further measures are being considered by the Welsh government but have not yet been confirmed. Local lockdowns have been introduced in six counties of Wales, with nobody able to leave or enter those areas without a reasonable excuse. Across Wales, people are being urged to only make “necessary journeys” and must observe the Rule of Six, with children under 12 exempt.

Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Executive has restricted gatherings indoors or outdoors, not in a private dwelling, to a maximum of 15 people, and is advising the public to avoid visiting places where there is a chance that a large number of people will gather. However, this does not apply to gatherings of a particular nature, including for cultural, entertainment or recreational purposes. A curfew in pubs is also being considered.

This page will be updated regularly with new information as announcements are made