Canadian Museum for Human Rights to reopen amid coronavirus pandemic

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is reopening its doors amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

The museum said this week it will start welcoming visitors back June 17.

“It’s a beautiful, sunlit and airy, huge space to come (to) after being cooped up after all these weeks,” museum spokesperson Maureen Fitzhenry told Global News Morning Winnipeg Wednesday.

“To be (in) this beautiful space where people can come in and feel part of something bigger than themselves.”

The 24,000-square-metre space has been closed since March 14.

A release from the CMHR says it will be the first national museum to re-open amid novel coronavirus.

Fitzhenry says while nearly all exhibits will be open, things aren’t completely back to normal just yet.

She says high-touch features like touchscreens and hands-on interactive features will not be available in museum’s seven gallery levels, and the the Israel Asper Tower of Hope will remained closed, as will ERA Bistro.

Those planning to tour the museum will also be asked to buy their tickets ahead of time and chose one of three two-hour time slots in an effort to ensure social distancing.

Fitzhenry says staff has been trained on how to encourage social distancing during the pandemic, cleaning and sanitation has been enhanced, and hand sanitizers will be available throughout the space.

“We not only want to keep everyone in our building — our staff, volunteers, and visitors — safe, we want them to feel safe, too,” she said.

The museum will be open five days a week, Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Fitzhenry says the CMHR will also be offering free admission to front-line workers and their families every Friday as a way of saying thank you for their work during COVID-19.

The museum says the offer is open to health-care workers, grocery store employees, taxi drivers, delivery people, utility workers and others.

For more information and to pre-order tickets, go to humanrights.ca.

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