1st Coronavirus Meeting: Contingency Planning, 11 March 2020
Virtual meeting 1 : March 11
Coronavirus: Preparedness and Contingency planning for UK Science Centres and Museums
This meeting was to share approaches and plans that UK science-based attractions have currently, in relation to Coronavirus, both in terms of health of staff and visitors, and making your organisations financially resilient.
50 members of staff from 30 organisations took part in this call to share knowledge, planning and advice.
The areas covered the following areas:
- How is your science centre or museum responding to Coronavirus?
- What plans do you have in place to increase protection for your visitors and school children?
- How are you protecting your staff and do you have home-working contingency plans in place?
- Do you have a list of which of your staff are more vulnerable?
- Where are the best sources of the latest advice, science and data?
- Will your insurance cover you for significant revenue loss if visitor numbers fall or you need to close to visitors?
- How will this affect your organisation's Easter holiday plans?
- Have you seen any impact bookings already?
- What can we do together and what would help your organisations at a national level?
- Are you engaging people with the science of Coronavirus and do you have resources to share?
The following points were discussed by members
- Income modelling with the anticipated drop in schools bookings, public visitors and corporate hire events
- Business continuity planning
- Cancellations of overseas groups and those from further afield
- School and event cancellation
- Staffing in the event of a shut down
- Issues around March 31 2020 and 2021 deadlines
- Future planning for larger events
- Insurance cover for business disruption due to a pandemic, and the issue around COVID-19 not being on the insurers list of notifiable diseases.
- Policies around refunds and re-booking
- All centres have for many weeks have been following government and Public Health advice. They have also increased cleaning regimes of their exhibits and centres, and have extra hand-washing facilities / handgel for staff and visitors.
The following organisations took part:
ASDC
- Winchester Science Centre
- Eureka!
- Science Museum Group
- Aberdeen Science Centre
- Association Science Technology Centres, USA
- Cambridge Science Centre
- Catalyst
- Centre for Alternative Technology
- Eco Attractions Group
- Highlands & Islands Enterprises
- International Centre for Life
- Marks Hall Estate
- National Botanic Garden of Wales
- National Space Centre
- Natural Environmental Research Council
- Observatory Science Centre
- Observatory Science Centre
- Pensthorpe Natural Park
- People’s History Museum
- Royal Botanical Gardens Kew
- Royal Observatory Edinburgh
- Science Oxford
- Techniquest Glyndwr
- The Living Rainforest
- Thinktank
- W5
- We the Curious