Uffizi Director cites Berlin Study to Show Museums are Safe
February 15 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence was forced to close last Friday as Tuscany was plunged back into a stricter level of lockdown due to the virus crisis. The gallery had been open for a mere fourteen days since its reopening, welcoming over 18,000 visitors during that short period.
The gallery's direct Eike Schmidt has said that the promising visitor numbers is a case for the strong desire for culture from the local inhabitants of the area.
He has also quoted a recent study by the Hermann-Rietschel-Instituts of the Technische Universität Berlin, whose research indicates that museums with reduced capacity are amongst the safest of places to visit during these times. Their study claims that museums carry less risk of infection than supermarkets, cinemas, restaurants and sports halls. Factors considered included within the research are the dwell time in rooms, air flow, air quality and type of activity undertaken in such spaces.
