Want to See Michelangelo Again? The Vatican Museums Are Reopening Next Week, But You’ll Need a Mask and Temp Check to Enter

What will reopening look like for the Vatican Museums, which have been closed
since March 9? Mandatory face masks, temperature checks at entry,
and strict social distancing requirements.

As Italy, one of the countries hit hardest by the ongoing global
health situation, continues its recovery, the nation’s museums are
preparing to welcome the public beginning May
18 as part of phase two of its reopening. The government shuttered
all museums on March 9 as the outbreak swept the country.

The new normal won’t look much like the old one. The Italian Ministry for
Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism has drawn up
guidelines requiring advance reservations for museums, with all
tickets being purchased online. Inside the galleries, social
distancing will be a must.

Vatican Museums, which used to welcome up to 20,000 visitors per
day, will implement even stricter measures. “For the incoming
public, we are completing the installation of thermoscanners for
temperature readings,” secretary-general of the Vatican City State
Governorate, Bishop Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, told Vatican
News. The museum is also suspending large group
visits and asking all guests to wear face masks on the
premises.

Social-distancing guidelines that call for six feet between
museum guests will mean a far more intimate experience inside the
famed Sistine Chapel, with
its frescoes by Renaissance great Michelangelo. The museum has
worked over the years to increase access to the chapel, installing
a new climate control system in 2014 that meant maximum capacity jumped
from just 700 to 2,000 visitors at any given time, but will now
reverse course to prioritize health concerns.

The Vatican did not respond to inquires from Artnet News about
how many tickets will be available upon reopening, and whether
guests will also be able to visit the adjoining St. Peter’s
Basilica.

During the shutdown, most employees of the Vatican Museums have
remained at home, with about 30 essential workers on site daily, as
opposed to the normal staff of over 1,000.

For the normally bustling institution, now reduced to a pale
imitation of itself in online tours, the lockdown has amounted to
“months of silence,” said Vérgez. “Virtual reality can never
replace reality. Let us not forget that what brings museums alive
are people. To enjoy art, you need your eyes and heart.”

The post Want to See Michelangelo Again? The Vatican Museums
Are Reopening Next Week, But You’ll Need a Mask and Temp Check to
Enter appeared first on artnet News.