The Royal B.C. Museum will begin a multi-phased reopening plan next month that is expected to return it to full operation by Labour Day.
“With a big organization, there’s still a lot to work through,” said museum CEO Jack Lohman. “Our recovery plan is 50 pages [long], so it’s a pretty solid approach.”
The museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit and Natural History gallery will be among the areas reopening to the public on June 19, Lohman said.
The remainder of the museum, which has been closed since March 17, will be brought back in stages before a full-scale return on Sept. 7.
“It’s not just a museum — it’s a research institute, it’s an archive, it’s an outdoor park and it’s a theatre,” Lohman said. “There are a lot of supporting businesses. It really needs a very cautious approach.”
The Victoria Imax Theatre will remain closed until July or so, when phase three of the province’s restart plan is expected to ease protocols.
Exhibits on the museum’s third floor, including Our Living Languages, the First Peoples Gallery and Old Town, will remain closed until Aug. 1, while the Becoming B.C. gallery will not welcome visitors until the final phase of reopening in September.
The B.C. Archives Reference Room will likely be closed until 2021. Venue rentals, tours and behind-the-scenes visits will not be offered until next year. “We are there to serve the public,” Lohman said. “But we want to do it very, very carefully.”
Several measures are in place to help reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19, from acrylic barriers and extensive cleaning in high-touch areas to hand-washing stations throughout the museum. Admission must now be purchased in advance, with visitors selecting from available arrival times. Timed tickets will be available from the museum website beginning June 15.
One-way routes, like those seen at some grocery stores, will be in place, and visitor hosts will ensure safe distancing is maintained.
The museum’s hours will be extended to 6 p.m. Saturday through Tuesday, and to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday. The hour between 10 and 11 a.m. daily has been reserved for seniors and first responders.
Admission to the museum, which will be closed each Wednesday for extensive cleaning, has been reduced in order to make the attraction as visitor-friendly as possible upon its return.
“It has been a complex task, returning to work,” Lohman said.
“We want to see how visitors react to what they see and how it works before we phase in the next floor. The upper floor has a lot more touch areas and smaller areas, which have to be re-thought.”
The changes are part of what Lohman is calling the new normal at museums around the world.
Large international exhibits that come to Victoria from other countries, such as Maya: The Great Jaguar Rises, which debuted at the Royal B.C. Museum last year, “will not be happening for the foreseeable future,” Lohman said. “There will be a different type of collaboration between museums.”
Lohman is hoping the reopening of the Belleville Street landmark provides residents and visitors with an injection of energy.
“It’s about the recovery of the city, and breathing life back into the city,” he said.
“We’re proud to be part of it. We hope that this summer things will move dramatically forward, as borders are opened up and traveling restrictions are eased. I hope that we will see business return. After so many months of isolation, I think it will be great to be able to come out in a safe way and enjoy the museum.”
