Glasgow to keep its museums and galleries closed till after school holidays
All of Glasgow’s flagship museums and galleries are to remain closed to the public until after the school holidays, city leaders have revealed.
The financial impact of the shutdown of cultural events and attractions, and the time needed to install new hygiene measures and train extra staff have been cited as key factors.
The difficulties in enforcing social distancing restrictions have also been blamed for a decision to postpone the reopening of some venues indefinitely, including the People’s Palace, Scotland Street Museum, the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art and the Provand’s Lordship.
Glasgow Life, which runs the city’s museums and galleries on behalf of the council, said it was already looking at losses of up to £40 million due to the impact of the pandemic. The trust, which has a budget of around £110m, has had 1,000 of its 2,600-strong workforce on furlough.
Kelvingrove, which normally attracts more than a million visitors each year, will not be opening until 17 August.
The Riverside Museum, which showcases the city’s transport collection, will not be back up and running until the end of August, while the Gallery of Modern Art will not reopen until October. However, the Tramway could be one of the country’s first performing arts centres to host live events again after a September reopening was pencilled in.
Cllr David Mcdonald, chair of Glasgow Life, said: “Our financial and staffing constraints are unlike anything we’ve ever faced. It’s not a case of just reopening our doors and returning to the way things were. Planning around government guidance which is changing regularly, the welfare of our staff, and the viability of adapting our venues to meet social distancing takes time and we have a responsibility to get it right from the outset.
“Social distancing also means that a large proportion of our venues are unable to reopen safely and we’ll need more staff than before to be working at the venues we do reopen to ensure current restrictions are followed.”