Museums in Beijing are reopening for the May Day holiday with coronavirus safety precautions.
Whilst other areas of China have seen their lockdown restrictions easing for a number of weeks, Beijing’s lockdown has been more severe. But now that lockdown is easing and attractions are beginning to reopen with safety precautions.
State Museums in Beijing like the Palace Museum, the National Museum of China and the National Art Museum of China are now open.
Visitor number limits
The Palace Museum is extremely popular; it had more than 19 million visitors in 2019 and a recent live stream guided tour attracted millions of views. For the first time since January, people will be able to visit the iconic site once again.
However, there are several restrictions in place. Tickets must be pre-booked using official identification. This ID and a green QR code must be presented at the entrance, and all visitors must have their temperature taken.
Furthermore, ticket numbers will be limited to 5,000 visitors a day. Before the pandemic, the Palace Museum received 80,000 visitors a day. Visitation is therefore restricted to just over 6% of the normal attendance. This is divided into 3,000 people between 8.30 am and 1 pm, and 2,000 from 1 pm until 5 pm in what’s described on the Museum’s website as an “orderly reopening”.
Indoor areas remain closed
Visitors must wear face masks and must keep one metre away from everyone else. Staff have been told to disperse large crowds of people.
Only outdoor exhibitions and courtyards will be open, with the indoor exhibition areas remaining closed. This means visitors will not be able to see the treasure and clock halls, the Wumen, Donhuamne and Shenqumen towers.
Pre-booking required
The National Museum of China will also require pre-bookings. Visitors must show their ID, have their temperature taken and wear masks. A daily limit of 3,000 people is in place, with arrivals being staggered throughout the day. No guided tours will take place.
Several private art museums in Beijing are expected to reopen later in May such as the KWM Art Centre. However, several museums will remain closed for the foreseeable future, such as the Central Academy of Fine Art Museum.
China seems to be returning to normal, with more theme parks now reopening. More of Fantawild Holding‘s parks are now open with extra safety measures.
In Europe, some countries are also easing lockdown measures and several museums in Germany are also reopening with reduced visitor numbers and other precautions in place.
