Our latest response to new Covid measures in England

We are developing our response to the new Covid measures in England, which will apply from Thursday 5 November.

Throughout this week we’ll be reviewing the latest information and updating our guidance to ensure that we can best support our museum colleagues during this difficult time.

Our website has many resources available, spanning the breadth of our Covid-19 advocacy work, and MA members will also have access to a range of practical and careers-focused sessions at Conference.

The Museums Association’s director, Sharon Heal, said: “It’s a blow to museums to have to close just as they were getting back on their feet, and while it’s good to see furlough being extended, it’s cold comfort to the 3,000+ people in the sector who have lost their jobs in the last few weeks as the first scheme ended.

“The sector has benefitted from emergency funding in recent weeks, but that was to deal with the impact of the first lockdown. Many museums are still in a very difficult financial situation and more may be required to keep some organisations afloat.

“As a first step, it’s really important that government allows ACE to distribute the remaining Culture Recovery Fund in a flexible way that allows organisations to spend in the next financial year as well as the current one.”