Revisions to Risk Assessment and Covid Precautionary Procedures in the light of changes to Government Guidance – effective from Thursday July 22nd 2021
Government guidance changed on July 19. It was agreed at committee on July 20th that:
- Test and Trace
Though it is no longer compulsory to display the Test and Trace QR code or to take details of members of the public coming into the Museum, we are strongly advised to do so by recently issued guidance. We will therefore continue to display the QR code and to take manual details of any member of the public coming into the Museum or archives, as well as logging in all volunteers and contractors.
2. People displaying symptoms or required to self isolate
Notices to the effect that anyone displaying symptoms or feeling unwell or who has been required to isolate or quarantine will be retained.
3. Groups and Bubbles
The requirements for visitors to come in groups of no more than 6 or 2 families has been dropped, It is now for individuals to decide how many people they will come into contact with socially. VAs will no longer need to turn away groups bigger than 6 or to question if they are all from bubbles or family groups.
4. Social distancing
The requirement for people to maintain a 2m distance from anyone not in their bubble has been dropped. It is now for individuals to assess what is appropriate in any circumstance, though the advice is to limit contact. We will therefore maintain signage advising that visitors keep a safe distance and encourage volunteers and visitors to do so, but we cannot enforce this.
3. Covid passes
We are not generally a high risk setting where people need to sit close together and do not therefore expect to need to use the government’s proposed Covid pass to admit only vaccinated persons.
4. Masks
Mask wearing indoors is no longer compulsory. Instead, all businesses are required to do their own risk assessment on all aspects of covid security and to set a policy appropriate to their own settings. The minister responsible for vaccines, Nadhim Zahawi, has said that people should continue to wear masks in many indoor settings after July 19th. We cannot effectively ventilate our building so we will therefore continue to operate a regime of masking for volunteers and visitors and to offer free masks to anyone who attends without one.
4. Kitchen and Toilet use
Government guidance recommends continuing to regularly clean surfaces that people have touched since this still represents a covid risk. We will re-open the kitchen area to volunteers and the toilet to volunteers and the public, and VAs will be responsible for ensuring that the kitchen surface is cleaned and sanitised after use and that the toilet and basins are sprayed with sanitiser hourly.
5. Handling items
Sanitizer will be placed on entry and next to items which people are invited to touch – fossil drawers, touch screens, headphones, puzzles etc and VAs will ensure that surfaces are regularly cleaned throughout the session.
General wiping down of surfaces that are regularly touched – desks etc – will be undertaken by the VAs and archive team.
6. Dressing up clothes and hats
Shops are now replacing items that are tried on back on racks without a period of quarantine as the virus has not been shown to survive long periods on fabrics. We will no longer issue instructions not to try items on, but ensure that hand sanitiser is available close by for people to use.
7. Summer family activity
The summer family activity consists of games for families to borrow from the desk and return. Sanitising spray will be offered to carers when the games are picked up, to spray items, and hand sanitiser will be on hand in the area set aside for family use so that all participants can sanitise their hands. VAs will not be required to clean all items before/after use, but ensure that spray is offered to carers so that they may use it if they wish to.
