Museums moving forward
Public places implementing new safety procedures
The 2020 tourist season will look a bit different for museums and heritage sites, as staff and visitors adjust to new COVID-19 policies.
Due to concerns surrounding the spread of the virus, many year-round museums had to temporarily close and seasonal museums delayed or cancelled openings. As conditions change, many public places have been given permission to open with new safety procedures in place.
For The Rooms in St. John's, N.L., this includes arrows to guide visitors, Plexiglas protection for those working at the ticket desk and ticket timing to ensure the entrance isn't crowded.
“There'll also be the same kind of signage and social distancing reminders, that you see in lots of other places; we're making sure that people wash their hands and stay at least six feet apart from other visitors,” said Kate Wolforth, The Rooms director of museums and galleries.
The Rooms, which is scheduled to open on June 29, is also increasing the amount of sanitization stations and limiting what visitors can touch.
“We will be removing any kind of touch screen or putting signage over any kind of interactive device that people usually used, so those won't be available or we'll be providing another way to access that information,” said Wolforth. “Things that can't be cleaned, we'll be removing or making inaccessible for people.”
Similar policies will be followed at The Rooms regional sites in Grand Banks, Grand Falls-Windsor and North West River, Labrador, which are scheduled to open around or after June 29.
Some museums in Newfoundland, like the provincial historic sites, will have a “phased opening” said Gillian Marx, media relations, North
America for Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism in an email. These sites are scheduled to open sometime in July. According to the province's website, policies include using contactless and or cashless payments when possible, having staff in galleries and rooms to ensure social distancing and using non-medical masks if social distancing isn't possible.
In Prince Edward Island, Orwell Corner Historic Village opened on June 1. Jason MacNeil, the site manager, said their current focus is group visits.
“We are bringing family groups through one at a time, 15 minutes apart, to make sure that they arrive in the group and they maintain social distance from any other group that are going through the site,” he said.
While the village is a large site, activities where social distancing is difficult have been cancelled. Some events can still go ahead, with staff monitoring in place, like New Life on the Farm, which features interactions with baby animals. Others, like blacksmithing, are being restricted to older participants for safety reasons.
“We can't have younger children with a hot iron in front of a fire. We have done that in the past because we were right there beside them helping hold the piece of iron and helping them forge it,” said MacNeil.
Site staff are also making sure to sanitize and clean any highly touched surfaces. For artifacts that can't be cleaned due to their age, MacNeil said they've been moved out of reach.
Orwell Corner is part of the Prince Island Museum and Heritage Foundation. All of their sites are expected to open by July 1.
Museums in Nova Scotia are following protocols similar to other provinces. Many don't have a set opening date yet, which includes both provincial and privately funded museums.
“The Nova Scotia Museum is working with its sites to create plans for reopening that address the public health directives,” said Sarah Levy MacLeod, media relations officer with the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, in an emailed statement. “We are also working with the Association of Nova Scotia Museums to provide our templates and guidance to the many other operators in the province.”
The Cape Breton Miners' Museum in Glace Bay is scheduled to open on June 28. Mary Pat Mombourquette, the museum's executive director, hired staff back on June 1 to start prepping, which includes a vigorous cleaning routine in all public areas.
One such procedure involves the handling of mining capes and helmets.
“We've done away with the capes, but we have clean helmets put in one area and dirty helmets in another so we can clean them after each use,” she said. “We have really strict protocols. Anything a visitor touches, once they touch it, is out of commission and has to be cleaned.
Other measures include having Plexiglas in place at the front desk, wrapping credit and debit machines in plastic and wiping them down after each use and arrows to direct visitor traffic. Mombourquette hopes they will be able to do mine tours, but that's only if they are able to keep staff and visitors safe.
“We can do social distancing with a much smaller group ... like eight people on a tour, which would be a lovely tour; it would be really, really personal,” she said. “What I'd really like to do, because the mine guide is talking, he can't wear a mask, is to provide masks to visitors.”
As for Parks Canada sites, there wasn't a spokesperson available to talk specifically or generally about those locations.
Megan Damini, media relations for Parks Canada, did provide an email statement. Operations “gradually” began resuming on June 1, with camping sites closed until at least June 21.
“Parks Canada is (also) asking visitors to respect twometre physical distancing and enhanced hygiene requirements at Parks Canada places as we reopen,” said Damini. “Visitors are also asked to be self-sufficient when they visit and pack extra hygiene supplies such as hand sanitizer, wipes and a tablecloth, and bring their own water and food.”
Staff measures include protective equipment and training to ensure jobs are done efficiently and safely.
While there may be a change in numbers this year due to travel restrictions, many sites and facilities would like to see an increase in local tourism. Wolforth said she hopes families will get out and do something a little different, while also getting “perspective in a really challenging time.”
“We recognize this has been a difficult time; it's even been a traumatic time and places like museums are places you can go to get perspective on the past,” she said. “You can go and see how previous generations maybe dealt with similar crises and gain some strength from that.”