Hong Kong Museums That Reopened Amid a Wane in Coronavirus Cases Are Shuttering Again as a Second Outbreak Takes Hold

Museums in Hong Kong are closed—again. After the city sought to
reintroduce normal activity, a wave of new coronavirus cases hit,
largely due to returning travelers. The reversal offers a
cautionary tale to countries around the world that are eager to
ease restrictions on social distancing practices and get business
moving back on pace.

Until recently, Hong Kong had been a shining example of how a
country might successfully keep the novel coronavirus pandemic
contained. Despite being a part of China, where the COVID-19
outbreak originated, Hong Kong implemented preventative measures
that flattened the curve, preventing the rampant spread of the
virus.

Those measures included shutting down
government-run museums in late January. Other institutions in
the city followed suit (save for the sparsely visited Hong Kong Maritime
Museum). By March, those measures were being adopted in
countries outside Asia, including the US and much of Europe.

At the same time, Hong Kong, lulled into a false sense of
security, was letting up its guard. Convinced that the worst of the
threat had passed, museums gradually began reopening earlier this
month.

Then a second wave of the pandemic hit. Between March 16 and
March 23, identified cases of the disease in Hong Kong doubled from 157 to
317. Most of those new cases are of international origin, as
residents return from Europe or North America

As a result, social distancing measures are back in full effect,
with the government abruptly shuttering institutions such as as the
Hong Kong Museum of Art—which reopened on March 11—once again. The
West Kowloon Cultural District is also closing the M+ Pavilion.

Singapore, too, has seen a dramatic uptick in new cases in
recent days after appearing to have the outbreak under control. Two
museums have closed temporarily after staff members tested positive
for the virus.

The news of coronavirus resurgences serves as a warning of what
may be in store for other countries in the world where the initial
number of infections is still rising, and experts are already
concerned that a second wave may hit even harder than the first. As
a result, museums and other places of public gathering may do well
to remain closed even after the threat of infectious disease
appears to have waned.

The post Hong Kong Museums That Reopened Amid a Wane in
Coronavirus Cases Are Shuttering Again as a Second Outbreak Takes
Hold appeared first on artnet News.