Museum Reopening Guidance and Checklist

Last reviewed 22 Dec 2021

If you’re looking for the latest news on Covid restrictions and / or support available from the government, then please click here for our latest news and guidance page>>

England

Museum Reopening Guidance and Checklist

The Coronavirus Covid-19 NMDC Good Practice Guidelines on the Reopening of Museums after July 4, 2020 (hereafter Guidelines) has been developed by the National Museum Directors’ Council (NMDC) Planning and Remobilisation Group with support from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and contributions from across the museum sector, including AIM. It is intended for use by museums in England. Alongside this, a checklist has been produced by AIM and Museum Development (MD) to be used in conjunction with the Guidelines and to help museums take a strategic, well informed approach to making decisions on reopening and implementing a safe and effective plan in conjunction with the national guidance for museums. You can work through the AIM / MD checklist via the links below.

The checklist does not tell you exactly how your reopened museum should operate – individual circumstances will vary enormously – it is intended to help you develop your reopening plans and provides you with a methodology to follow.

AIM/MD Checklist

Introduction
Step 1 – Consult 
Step 2 – Assess risk
Step 3 – Check financial viability
Step 4 – Plan 
Step 5 – Communicate with staff and volunteers
Step 6 – Check in on wellbeing 
Step 7 – Communicate with visitors
Step 8 – Use your local network
Step 9 – Use museum networks
Step 10 – Be flexible
FAQs

Checklist Resources

Coronavirus COVID-19 NMDC Good Practice Guidelines for Reopening Museums after 4th July 2020
Download AIM/MD Checklist as a pdf document.
Download AIM/MD Checklist infographic.

Wales

Click here for the Welsh government reopening guidance>>

Welsh government Culture and heritage destinations and venues: guidance for a phased return>>

Scotland

The Scottish government has issued ‘Coronavirus (Covid-19): guidance for museums, galleries and heritage attractions‘ for AIM members in Scotland.

Scottish government Coronavirus (Covid 19): guidance for museums, galleries and heritage attractions

NHS App resources

Other Resources

Watch reopening case studies from AIM members here. Hear about their experiences, what they’ve learnt and the one piece of advice they want to share with other museums.

HSE have produced an aide memoire to returning to work safely and the key Health & Safety considerations all businesses should address as part of their COVID-19 risk assessment. You can read the summary guidance here>>

ALVA have produced draft guidance for visitor attractions wishing to maintain some social distancing and other mitigation measures in England after the 19th of July. Read the guidance here>>

EMBED Reopening Recommendations – Created in collaboration with the Disability Collaborative Network and University of East Anglia, EMBED guidance considers and offers solutions to the potential barriers faced by disabled visitors and customers. Read the guidance here>>. 

Learning services – Space for Learning, Clore Duffield Foundation, GEM Heritage, Engage and the Theatre Education Forum have put together Covid secure guidance for museums, galleries, heritage and performing arts sites. They aim to provide a practical framework to think about what is needed to continue, or restart, learning services during the Covid-19 pandemic and to support the health and wellbeing of workers and audiences.  Read the guidance here>>.