Doha: Qatar Museums (QM) will reopen a number of its museums and heritage sites to the public on Wednesday, July 1, in accordance with recommendations from Qatar’s Health Protection & Communicable Disease Control office of the Ministry of Public Health.
Qatar Museums plans to reopen the remainder of its museums in phases while rolling out the new health and safety protocols.
Ahmad Al Namla, CEO of Qatar Museums, said, “With gratitude toward the Ministry of Public Health for its guidance throughout these difficult times, we are excited to gradually begin to welcome back the public to a number of our museums and heritage sites. To create a safe and comfortable environment for staff and visitors, we have put in place a robust set of health and safety measures. While the team at Qatar Museums has done extraordinary work during the pandemic to engage the public through digital initiatives, we now begin to reopen our doors.”
The museums and galleries opening tomorrow include the Museum of Islamic Art, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and the Garage Gallery at the Fire Station: Artist in Residence, while Heritage sites will include Al Zubarah, Al Jassasiya and Barzan Towers.
The permanent collections of MIA and Mathaf are open to visitors, as is the special exhibition Picasso’s Studios, organized in partnership with the Musée National Picasso-Paris, at the Fire Station. The museums, galleries and heritage sites are open from Sunday through Thursday, between the hours of 9am to 3pm.
Museum gift shops will reopen in MIA, Mathaf and NMoQ (although NMoQ galleries will remain closed as the museum undergoes maintenance work) as well as cafes with limited service from Saturday through to Thursday. IDAM restaurant at MIA, will be operating at limited capacity for dinner service while JIWAN at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) will be open at limited capacity for lunch and afternoon tea. During this initial phase, public programs, group tours and special events remain suspended, and QM’s playgrounds, libraries, and parks (including MIA Park) remain closed.
In keeping with the guidelines set by the Ministry of Public Health, a limited number of visitors and staff are allowed inside each museum. Visitors are required to reserve tickets in advance on the QM website and the Culture Pass App.
On arrival at the museum, ticketholders must present a “green” health status on the Ehteraz virus-tracing app. Each person will also be checked for a normal temperature reading at the entrance. Visitors (12 years of age and above) are required to bring and wear a mask and are encouraged to use the hand sanitizer stations placed throughout the location.
Signage reminding visitors to keep a safe distance from other visitors has also been installed. Cloak rooms are unavailable during this period. In addition, interactive features at each museum such as touchscreens have been temporarily removed, and gallery guides will be offered online only.
More information on QM’s new health and safety measures and ticketing information can be found on QM’s website. (https://visit.qm.org.qa)
