The past week I’ve been inundated with folks asking whether they should postpone their museum visits due to the corona virus situation, so I’ve decided to share my thoughts today.
When news of the virus began a few weeks ago, information coming from the People’s Republic of China was scarce and confusing. It’s now clear that the entire world may be effected. Many industries may be brought to their knees with sobering statistics and misinformation. Medical experts seem to agree that the majority of the general public, even if they contract the virus, will show mild or no symptoms at all. The elderly and those with compromised immune systems however, need to be more careful avoiding crowds and being vigilant about hand-washing etc.
So, where does that leave our nation’s museums? The American Alliance of Museums is guiding its membership with some common sense suggestions.
The museum directors that I have talked to have assured me that they are all stepping up their usual housekeeping policies. Here are just a few of the items on their environmental cleaning checklist:
• Routinely cleaning all frequently touched surfaces including stair rails, doorknobs, drinking fountains, restroom faucets etc.
• Sanitizing audio headsets after each guest’s use
• Providing hand sanitizing stations and disposable wipes throughout public spaces
• Changing air filters on HVAC systems
I for one plan on being positive and practical during my museum visits. I’ve always loved being the last one in the museum so I tend to visit later in the day or evenings to avoid the crowds. I’ll be armed with my own hand sanitizer and continue to enjoy our nation’s museums and their incredible collections. I hope to see you there!
Remember, in between your own museum visits, you can always catch episodes of Museum Access on Amazon Prime Video. Check out the trailers to get a sneak peek and stay tuned for Season 3 coming this Spring to
Public Television / PBS stations nationwide.
