Museums can open safely and responsibly, as shown in the summer of 2020, as long as 6 feet distance is maintained between visitors. As a next step in the strategy to reopen the Netherlands, seventeen museums will open their doors in the week of 19 April, for a pilot using quick Covid tests. Participating museums can be found in every province. People with a Museumkaart can visit these museums if they reserve a ticket for a specific time slot and show a negative quicktest result. This quicktest can be taken for free at participating test centers. The pilot is part of the plan with which the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science wants to study the use of quicktests in the cultural sector. Goals are to test the infrastructure for quick tests and cultural visits, and to discover what visitors like and dislike about these arrangements. This will provide insights into whether quicktests can play a role in getting social life back on track. The pilot will be held during the National Museum Week, from 19 to 25 April 2021. All of the over 400 museums that belong to the Museum Association will participate; if not physically, at least by offering special events online. See the full programme at: www.museum.nl.
How does the pilot work?
From next week, people with a Museumkaart can reserve a time slot at the museum of their choice at https://www.museum.nl/nl/sneltestpilot. People with a Museumkaart that expired after 14 December 2020 can also participate. The Stichting Museumkaart will announce on social media when reservations are possible. The museums are spread over the country and each museum will participate for three specific days. Once you have reserved a time slot at a museum, you will receive an email with a link to make an appointment for a free quicktest. At your reserved time, you can enter with your Museumkaart, proof of reservation and negative quicktest result (taken no longer than 40 hours before entry). To limit travel movements, visitors are asked to visit a museum in their own province and to choose the test center which requires the shortest travel distance.
Six feet rule remains in place
The pilot is different from the previous field labs: the corona protocols continue to apply. For example, you will have to keep six feet distance from other visitors, follow the assigned routes, and wash your hands with disinfectant upon entry. The experience of 2020 shows that the protocol is safe and responsible: no corona infections have been traced back to museums. Moreover, more than two-thirds of visitors felt that their visit to a museum was a safe experience, according to a study by research institute Validators commissioned by the Museum Association last year.
At the same time, all museums are preparing to reopen to visitors. Because together, museums tell the entire story of our ever-changing society, with its heritage that belongs to all of us.
Participating museums
Drents Museum, Assen | Fries Museum, Leeuwarden | Jopie Huisman Museum, Workum | Groninger Museum, Groningen | Noordbrabants Museum, ‘s-Hertogenbosch | Netherlands Open Air Museum, Arnhem | Bonnefanten, Maastricht | Hermitage, Amsterdam | Maritime Museum, Amsterdam | Teylers Museum, Haarlem | Loevestein Castle, Poederooijen | Aviation Museum Aviodrome, Lelystad | Museum De Fundatie, Zwolle | Railway Museum, Utrecht | Museum Prinsenhof, Delft | Wereldmuseum, Rotterdam | Zeeuws Museum, Middelburg.
The seventeen museums participating in the pilot have been selected in consultation with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the 25 safety regions. In doing so, attention was paid to distribution – at least one museum in each province – museum size and type of collection.
Participating quicktest locations
The quicktests are conducted by the test centers of the Stichting Open Nederland. People who have reserved a time slot on www.museum.nl will be referred for a free quicktest through www.covidsnelteststraat.nl.