VICTORIA -- The Royal BC Museum in downtown Victoria is set to reopen its doors next month.
The reopening comes as B.C. continues on the second phase of its restart plan, which saw the reopening of many business sectors and social bubbles.
The museum says that it is prioritizing visitor and staff safety and that a number of changes will be in place once the building’s doors reopen on June 19.
Visitor paths will be altered in galleries to allow for physical distancing and routes will be in place similar to some grocery stores.
The museum will also be limiting the number of guests allowed inside a gallery at once, and will limiting how long they will be able to spend inside. Acrylic barriers have also been installed in areas where staff and visitors interact, and additional hand-washing stations have been placed throughout the museum.
“As we reopen to the public, our primary goal is to prioritize health and safety,” said Jack Lohman, CEO of the Royal BC Museum.
“Although we are well placed to introduce physical distancing measures, similar to those used by grocery stores, we are taking a cautious approach to re-opening as a number of operational issues need to be addressed first.”
While most of the museum will reopen June 19, galleries on the third floor, including the First Peoples Gallery, Our Living Languages exhibit and Old Town section will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
Timed tickets can be purchased on the museum’s website beginning June 15.
Meanwhile, people who are interested in seeing the museum’s collections can visit the Royal BC Museum website for free access to the online archives.
