COVID-19 statement

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic is posing an unprecedented threat to the UK, which have been experiencing widespread transmission of the virus in the community for several weeks. In addition, there has been an increasing number of reports of COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care homes across the UK with high associated mortality, highlighting the extreme vulnerability of the elderly in this setting.

The absence of an effective treatment or a vaccine combined with an exponential growth in infections from late February led to implementation of  interventions to collectively reduce transmission such as ‘stay-at-home’ policies (recommended or enforced) alongside other community and physical distancing measures, such as the cancellation of mass gatherings, closure of educational institutions and public spaces. Museums were included within the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government guidance as one of the businesses/ venues that must remain closed to members of the public.

These measures are highly disruptive to society, both economically and socially. This is why there is significant interest in defining a sound approach to adjusting the measures and phasing out ‘stay-at-home’ policies. However, lifting measures too quickly, without appropriate monitoring and health system capacity in place, may cause a sudden resurgence of sustained community transmission.

The UK Government announced on the 10^th of May a roadmap to get the UK out of the current lockdown measures. Several documents have been released covering what additional hygiene procedures, physical screening and protective equipment are required to allow shops and businesses to reopen, alongside what is needed to maintain social distancing between individuals. As of the 15th June, non-essential shops were allowed to reopen, provided they adhered to the government advice and regulations detailed in these documents. Museum shops were included in this phase of reopening and our shop reopened on the 16th June.

Now, museums and other cultural spaces have been allowed to reopen in full, and as of the 7th July, St Neots Museum will open it’s doors, following strict government guidance.

Practical steps the museum is taking to reopen

Cleaning

Before reopening, a deep clean has been undertaken of the museum, with particular focus on the shop, toilets and reception areas.

We will also be cleaning all the key areas of the museum on a daily basis, as usual, but in addition staff will also be cleaning during the day as visitors come and go.

Signage outside the museum will display the key information below about our updated procedures

• To ensure social distancing, only 2 customers will be allowed inside the shop and reception area at once. Where a customer enters with children, staff and volunteers will use their discretion to decide what constitutes a safe capacity.
• Visitors will be asked to wait outside if the shop is at capacity.
• At present, we will only be accepting card payments.
• We will be asking visitors to limit the touching of merchandise within the shop.
• We have stickers on the floor throughout the museum to alert people to the need to observe social distancing. We will be limiting the numbers of people inside the museum at any one time.
• Customers will be asked not to enter if they have been feeling unwell, or if they may have been in contact with someone who is unwell.

Updates have been made to our museum and shop to ensure we adhere to government guidance

• In the museum we have fitted automatic release door stops to any normally closed fire doors, so that these are now open for the public and do not need to be touched.
• A new fixed wooden and perspex screen has been installed around the whole reception desk, with a space to pass through the card payment machine.
• New signage displayed inside asking customers to maintain social distancing, there are also discs on the floor to guide customers.
• Free face masks are available for customers who would like to use one. Our volunteers are also equipped with face shields if they are required to come out from behind the protective screen.
• Hand sanitiser stations are available for customers, staff and volunteers.
• We have removed the handling items from display.

To find out more, please see our Risk Assessment for reopening.