Museums, galleries and performance spaces may be allowed to reopen in certain parts of England from 2 December
Following four weeks of lockdown, the government has announced a ‘tougher’ version of the tier system – the COVID-19 regulations implemented in October – which will come into effect next week. The system will still feature three tiers, but this time with stricter measures.
Areas will be sorted into tiers on Thursday following the latest review of infection data, with restrictions eased in regions with fewer cases. Venues can open from 2 December in tiers one and two. Event attendance comes with regulation: 50 percent of audience capacity (capped to 1000), and COVID-secure checks and social distancing.
The ‘rule of six’ applies to visitors (meaning they must not socialise in larger groups) – in tier two, the public cannot mix indoors with anyone they do not live with or who are not in their support bubble; venues must close by 11pm.
Museums, cinemas and theatres will be forced to close in regions under tier three restrictions. Measures will be subject to review every 14 days.
The changes follow on from worrying research about the health of the UK artworld, with 60 percent of institutions concerned about their survival due to the impact of COVID-19. The study by charity Art Fund also found that 61 percent of museum and gallery workers feared losing their jobs.
