Museums will recover – but it will be a slow process 4 Jun 2020

NMDC Chair and Science Museum Group Director Sir Ian Blatchford has written for The Telegraph, assessing the situation of the sector and how and when museums are likely to reopen. He says that although the Government has given 4th July as the earliest possible opening date “do not expect many of our national and regional museums to be racing towards it with undue haste…our path to reopening will be guided by two things: the safety of our visitors and staff, and financial sustainability.” The Science Museum Group, with museums the length of the country, will choose reopening times based on conditions in each area, including public transport, infection rates, and local tourism plans. Tate may be one of the earlier nationals to open, potentially in August, but no dates are certain. He also emphasises the popularity of museum resources during lockdown – use of SMG’s online educational materials has increased fourfold – the centrality of museums to national wellbeing, and the importance of helping them survive so that they can contribute to the social and economic national recovery. NMDC