Museums and Galleries: Coronavirus
(asked on 18th May 2021) - View Source
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish the (a) scientific and (b) medical evidential basis for the decisions to (i) ease and (ii) not ease covid-19 restrictions for (A) commercial art galleries and (B) public art galleries on 12 April 2021.
The government published the roadmap on 22 February 2021, which set out a step-by-step plan to ease restrictions in England cautiously. In advance of the publication of the roadmap, the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group (SPI-M-O) published an assessment of the evidence available on 17 February. The purpose of the report was to summarise modelling on easing restrictions for England. It can be found here:
The design of the roadmap has been informed by the latest scientific evidence and seeks a balance between our key social and economic priorities, whilst preserving the health and safety of the country. The scientific evidence shows that opening too early or too quickly risks a further lockdown.
Under the roadmap, non-essential retail, including commercial art galleries, and the outdoor elements of public art galleries in England were allowed to reopen in Step 2 on 12 April, and the indoor elements of public art galleries were allowed to reopen in Step 3 on 17 May. The distinction between the reopening dates for the outdoor elements of public art galleries and the indoor elements acknowledged the higher transmission risk posed by indoor settings.