WINNIPEG -- The Manitoba Museum has announced it will be reopening its galleries starting on Saturday, June 13.
The galleries will be open to the public on weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with some new guidelines in place for visitors. The planetarium and science gallery will remain closed for now, and high-touch and interactive exhibit elements will not be accessible.
It said while the Nonsuch gallery will be open, visitors will not be allowed to board the ship.
People will have to enter and exit through the doors at 190 Rupert Avenue, and are asked to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms before arriving at the museum. Those who have any symptoms, travelled recently, or have had contact with someone with COVID-19 are asked to postpone their visit.
"We're really excited that we'll be welcoming the public back to the Manitoba Museum this coming weekend," Claudette Leclerc, executive director & CEO of the museum, told CTV News.
People are asked to use touchless payment or purchase tickets online. Digital maps of the museum will also be available online, as paper maps will not be available.
The museum said capacity has been reduced, and markers and signs will encourage physical distancing within the museum.
The reopening comes after the museum announced in May that it would be laying off employees due to the financial hit brought on by the pandemic.
At the time, the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union said 40 members had been given layoff notices.
Leclerc said with the museum slowly reopening, some part-time positions are getting the call back to work based on need. She said this includes visitor services.
She said the layoff notices given to some full-time permanent staff were not effective until June 27.
"Last week, we advised those staff they have been offered a .8 position, because that is the level at which we project that we can sustain for this fiscal year," she said. "We're almost fully staffed up and we certainly have enough staff for which to open to the public and to sustain the museum experience for the visitor."
While the museum will only be open weekends in June, Leclerc said they are looking at which days they will be open during July and August.
More information can be found on the museum website.
