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| Many Museums Won’t Survive the Virus. How Do You Close One Down? | Many Museums Won’t Survive the Virus. How Do You Close One Down? |
| (2 months later) | |
| The Charles Dickens Museum in London has fallen on hard times. For 95 years, the collection, in the home of the “Oliver Twist” and “Great Expectations” author, has been financed by ticket sales and other earned income. But with no visitors since March, its director fears that its temporary closure could become permanent. | The Charles Dickens Museum in London has fallen on hard times. For 95 years, the collection, in the home of the “Oliver Twist” and “Great Expectations” author, has been financed by ticket sales and other earned income. But with no visitors since March, its director fears that its temporary closure could become permanent. |
| “We have funds to get us through the end of April, and we’ve got a little bit of savings after that,” Cindy Sughrue, who leads the museum, said by phone from her office in the empty building. “I can see that we can eke out until September. But, if the social distancing measures continue beyond that, then there’s a real danger that we will not survive.” | “We have funds to get us through the end of April, and we’ve got a little bit of savings after that,” Cindy Sughrue, who leads the museum, said by phone from her office in the empty building. “I can see that we can eke out until September. But, if the social distancing measures continue beyond that, then there’s a real danger that we will not survive.” |
| All but about 5 to 7 percent of the world’s museums are currently shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic, said Peter Keller, the general director of the International Council of Museums. According to the council’s research, one in 10 may not reopen, he added. | All but about 5 to 7 percent of the world’s museums are currently shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic, said Peter Keller, the general director of the International Council of Museums. According to the council’s research, one in 10 may not reopen, he added. |
| More than 30 respondents to a 41-country survey, by the Network of European Museum Organizations, said they feared they would have to close permanently, among them the Museo de La Rioja and Museum of the Americas in Spain; Kornberg Castle in Austria, the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center in Hungary, and the National Historical Museum of Albania. | More than 30 respondents to a 41-country survey, by the Network of European Museum Organizations, said they feared they would have to close permanently, among them the Museo de La Rioja and Museum of the Americas in Spain; Kornberg Castle in Austria, the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center in Hungary, and the National Historical Museum of Albania. |
| The gravity of the situation varies by country, depending on how much museums rely on ticket sales and tourism, and how much government funding they receive. Museums in the United States which survive from earned income and philanthropy are more vulnerable than government-subsidized European institutions. The American Alliance of Museums reported to Congress in March that as many as 30 percent of museums could fail in the crisis, if there was no immediate intervention. | The gravity of the situation varies by country, depending on how much museums rely on ticket sales and tourism, and how much government funding they receive. Museums in the United States which survive from earned income and philanthropy are more vulnerable than government-subsidized European institutions. The American Alliance of Museums reported to Congress in March that as many as 30 percent of museums could fail in the crisis, if there was no immediate intervention. |
| But closing a museum is not just a matter of shutting the doors and turning off the lights. Institutions with significant collections have ethical and sometimes legal obligations to make sure that their objects are transferred elsewhere. The process can be both costly and time-consuming, experts say. | But closing a museum is not just a matter of shutting the doors and turning off the lights. Institutions with significant collections have ethical and sometimes legal obligations to make sure that their objects are transferred elsewhere. The process can be both costly and time-consuming, experts say. |
| “It would be a terribly complex process for us,” said Ms. Sughrue. “One of the largest ‘pieces’ in our collection is this house in which Dickens lived. We can’t even think about how you take a collection and locate it in another museum.” | “It would be a terribly complex process for us,” said Ms. Sughrue. “One of the largest ‘pieces’ in our collection is this house in which Dickens lived. We can’t even think about how you take a collection and locate it in another museum.” |
| Mr. Keller, of the museum council, said there was no international code for handling a dissolution. “In France, for example, national collections are ‘inalienable,’ which means you aren’t allowed to sell them,” without an act of Parliament, he said. “It varies country to country.” | Mr. Keller, of the museum council, said there was no international code for handling a dissolution. “In France, for example, national collections are ‘inalienable,’ which means you aren’t allowed to sell them,” without an act of Parliament, he said. “It varies country to country.” |
| In the Netherlands, a 35-page “Guideline for Disposal of Museum Objects” instructs museums to first make a complete inventory of their holdings, determining whether each work was donated, loaned, or purchased. If it was donated, for example, the museum must offer it back to the donor, and if it was acquired with government funds, it must first be offered to another Dutch museum. | In the Netherlands, a 35-page “Guideline for Disposal of Museum Objects” instructs museums to first make a complete inventory of their holdings, determining whether each work was donated, loaned, or purchased. If it was donated, for example, the museum must offer it back to the donor, and if it was acquired with government funds, it must first be offered to another Dutch museum. |
| In Britain, the Museums Association’s “Museums Facing Closure” handbook warns that “abrupt closure is extremely damaging in both practical and reputational terms.” It suggests ways to secure an empty building and deaccession a collection. Often a museum will need to keep at least one person on staff as a “project curator” to manage the disposal of art and artifacts, the handbook advises. | In Britain, the Museums Association’s “Museums Facing Closure” handbook warns that “abrupt closure is extremely damaging in both practical and reputational terms.” It suggests ways to secure an empty building and deaccession a collection. Often a museum will need to keep at least one person on staff as a “project curator” to manage the disposal of art and artifacts, the handbook advises. |
| “Under normal circumstances, it is a long process,” said Alistair Brown, a policy officer for the association. “Museums need to put aside sufficient resources to go through the winding up process,” he added. “The risk at the moment, with many museums becoming insolvent very quickly, is that they don’t have an option to go through that process.” | “Under normal circumstances, it is a long process,” said Alistair Brown, a policy officer for the association. “Museums need to put aside sufficient resources to go through the winding up process,” he added. “The risk at the moment, with many museums becoming insolvent very quickly, is that they don’t have an option to go through that process.” |
| Julia Pagel, the secretary general of the Network of European Museum Organizations, said that, aside from these technical concerns, an institution needs to consider its role in preserving history. “A museum isn’t just a repository of individual items,” she said. “The works speak to each other in their context. If you tear that apart and sell it, for example, how do you get that context and that history back?” | Julia Pagel, the secretary general of the Network of European Museum Organizations, said that, aside from these technical concerns, an institution needs to consider its role in preserving history. “A museum isn’t just a repository of individual items,” she said. “The works speak to each other in their context. If you tear that apart and sell it, for example, how do you get that context and that history back?” |
| Ms. Pagel added that museums that shut down still have to handle and conserve their collections for years, keeping staff on board to manage those operations. “The only thing you’re really cutting off is the access to them,” she added. “Taking away common cultural heritage is the last thing we should do at this moment.” | Ms. Pagel added that museums that shut down still have to handle and conserve their collections for years, keeping staff on board to manage those operations. “The only thing you’re really cutting off is the access to them,” she added. “Taking away common cultural heritage is the last thing we should do at this moment.” |
| Some countries in Europe are already making plans for reopening their museums; Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands will allow the public back, with restrictions, in May. But for those countries, like Britain, where a full lockdown remains in place, figuring out how to survive with no end in sight can be nail-biting for institutions. | Some countries in Europe are already making plans for reopening their museums; Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands will allow the public back, with restrictions, in May. But for those countries, like Britain, where a full lockdown remains in place, figuring out how to survive with no end in sight can be nail-biting for institutions. |
| Updated June 24, 2020 | |
| Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. | |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | |
| “The biggest factor will be when reopening happens,” Mr. Brown said. “Museums are losing out on peak season right now, and often they rely on the summer months to get them through the whole year.” Without their summer income, about 1,000 independently run museums throughout Britain would be relying on savings or donations to make it, he added. | “The biggest factor will be when reopening happens,” Mr. Brown said. “Museums are losing out on peak season right now, and often they rely on the summer months to get them through the whole year.” Without their summer income, about 1,000 independently run museums throughout Britain would be relying on savings or donations to make it, he added. |
| Even if the doors stay open, the next determining factor for survival will be when the tourists return. “There will be no tourists for quite a long time,” said Christina Haak, the vice president of the German National Museum Organization. “If the tourists don’t come, our income isn’t coming. You can say that for all museums in all the big European cities.” | Even if the doors stay open, the next determining factor for survival will be when the tourists return. “There will be no tourists for quite a long time,” said Christina Haak, the vice president of the German National Museum Organization. “If the tourists don’t come, our income isn’t coming. You can say that for all museums in all the big European cities.” |
| Ms. Sughrue, of the Dickens Museum, said that more than 50 percent of the institution’s visitors came from abroad. “Three or four months ago, before this pandemic, we were significantly increasing our visitor numbers and our income so much that we were planning on a surplus for this year.” The museum had ambitious plans to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Dickens’s death later this year, she added. | Ms. Sughrue, of the Dickens Museum, said that more than 50 percent of the institution’s visitors came from abroad. “Three or four months ago, before this pandemic, we were significantly increasing our visitor numbers and our income so much that we were planning on a surplus for this year.” The museum had ambitious plans to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Dickens’s death later this year, she added. |
| “It’s heartbreaking,” she said, “and it’s almost mind-bogglingly inconceivable how quickly all that has slipped away.” | “It’s heartbreaking,” she said, “and it’s almost mind-bogglingly inconceivable how quickly all that has slipped away.” |