Following the government announcement on Sunday, we now know that the Museum will remain closed until the end of June and the majority of staff will remain furloughed. Our hope at this point is that we would be able to open in-line with Step 3 of the plan (which lists hospitality, leisure and public places), the earliest date for which is 4th July. We know however that this will be conditional on each step of the plan having the desired effect of reducing the spread of the virus (and achieving the government’s five tests for easing lockdown), as well as BCLM being prepared and able to manage the health and safety requirements including social distancing and enhanced cleaning.
Some of you may have seen the announcement yesterday from the Chancellor Rishi Sunak, which confirmed that the government will extend the Job Retention Scheme until the end of October. This is welcome news and adds more clarity to our situation. There will be no changes to the scheme until end of July and from August through to October the scheme will have greater flexibility, allowing us to bring back furloughed workers on a part time basis if that is necessary to allow for a smooth transition to opening. Further information on the alterations to the scheme will be available at the end of May and we will of course keep you updated on these developments in due course. We will now look at different financial models to work out the best way of re-opening which allows us to make use of the financial support available.
Despite the uncertainty of a fixed opening date, we continue to work hard on planning for re-opening, so that when the time comes we are in the best possible position to welcome you and our visitors back to the Museum. Part of this involves working with other organisations such as those in the Heart of England Attractions Group (including Warwick Castle, Sea Life Centre and Lego Discovery Centre, RAF Museum Cosford and Ironbridge to name a few), on safety measures that we can put in place.
Later today we will publicly announce that we have made the decision to cancel the 1940s weekend which was scheduled for 11/12 July. Too much crucial planning time has been missed for this event to take place, even if the Museum were able to open. We have chosen not to reschedule for later in the year as we know this event works best in the summer and there is also no guarantee that the many of the re-enactors and entertainers would be available for a different date later in the year. We are asking all those who have purchased tickets to the 1940s evening event if they would like to donate the cost of their ticket to the Museum – as many arts organisations are also doing.
All other workshops, events and activities have been cancelled to the end of June – we will make a decision on whether events scheduled in July can go ahead based on when the Museum is able to re-open and that sufficient social distancing measures can be put in place. All school bookings have been cancelled to the end of the school year and group bookings up to the end of June.
The Museum’s board of trustees met last Thursday for the fourth time since we closed, and they continue to be updated on the situation on a weekly basis.
I’m thankful that we haven’t faced a serious issue with the health of staff, but I am aware that there are hidden pressures, not least on people’s mental health. Please don’t forget that if you have any queries or require any support that you can always email [email protected].
Take care and best wishes
Andrew
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