Berlin Museums Just Got the Green Light to Reopen in Early May. Here’s How They Are Working to Make It Safe

As authorities slowly ease lockdown
restrictions in Germany, Berlin’s state museums and memorials will
soon be able to reopen their doors—but in a very different
landscape than before, governed by very different rules.

Museums within the state of Berlin—of
which there are 170, ranging from private to municipal
institutions—are planning to reopen on May 4, a representative for
Berlin state museums confirmed by email. But the city’s mayor,
Michael Müller, is remaining cautious. According to a report in
Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung, he said there was no “general all-clear” and,
echoing recent remarks from the
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, described the situation as “very,
very fragile.”

There have already been small signs of life in the city’s
cultural sector. In the nearby state of Brandenburg, some small
museums are allowing visitors. And on Monday, April 20, Berlin’s
commercial galleries also began slowly reopening, with
recommendations in place to enter one a time, wear a mask, and
limit time spent inside.

The international art community is watching closely to gauge the
effectiveness of these measures and to gain a sense of what the
future may look like for other regions still on lockdown. The
reopening of Berlin’s much larger and traditionally well-trafficked
institutions will pose the biggest test yet.

“With a gradual and carefully
organized re-opening of the museums, we can set an important sign
for a slow but safe return to normality,” the German Association of
Museums said in a recent statement. The group issued a list of
recommendations for hygiene and safety, including plexiglass
shields for ticketing desks, self-scanning tickets, ample
disinfectant for employees, frequent cleaning of galleries, limited
visitor numbers, and social distancing. To accommodate reduced
visitor numbers and special time slots for at-risk audiences, the
association is suggesting extending opening hours.

Similar recommendations have been
adopted by the museum association for the now-reopened
Brandenburg museums, which are also suspending group tours.

All these modifications will not come
cheap, however. The “increased staffing requirements to implement
distance and hygiene rules” combined with “lower income with
reduced visitor numbers and the cancellation of events” will need
to be taken into account, the German Association of Museums noted,
adding that it is asking politicians and sponsors to support
museums through the transition period.

Due to the guidelines in place, depending on the size of the
museum, reopening could take longer than a few weeks. Berlin has
several world-renowned museums, including the Hamburger Bahnhof,
the Altes Museum, the Bodes Museum, and the Gemäldegalerie, which
welcome millions of visitors each year.

The post Berlin Museums Just Got the Green Light to Reopen
in Early May. Here’s How They Are Working to Make It Safe
appeared first on artnet News.