One week after the opening of the Museum of Cultures in Lugano and other museums in Switzerland, today, during the World Museum Day, according to the rules established by the new ministerial decree, museums will be able to reopen to the public in Italy.

This decree aims to restore the flow of people within public places in general, and, in particular, to make our cultural and artistic heritage accessible again; however, we should certainly not underestimate the economic aspect that has seriously affected this sector.

For this reason, the Government has examined a complex economic maneuver which provides for the allocation of extraordinary measures to support culture and businesses: the Holiday Bonus, which consists in a contribution of up to € 500 for hotel accommodation costs, the fund for tourism promotion, a real “tourism fund” which was designed with an initial endowment of 150 million euros to be used for acquisitions, renovations and enhancement of propertiesfor tourism.

In addition to this, the suspension of the first installment of the IMU for bathing establishments and hotel structures, the IRAP exemption for businesses and self-employed workers with revenues of less than € 250 million, greater protection for seasonal workers, an ad hoc fund for tour operators and travel agencies and non-refundable contributions for companies and operators damaged by Covid.

A series of complex operations that, with funds and aid, will allow museums – public and private ones – to access extra resources for the reopening which will have to be done in total safety for visitors and operators; for this reason, ConfCultura has drawn up a brief guide of the measures to be adopted in places of culture, which provide for sanitizing gel users and operators, respect for the distance of two meters, the use of masks, the disinfection of the rooms and so on.
In addition, the current situation imposes strict rules about the use of common objects, such as, for example, audio guides and the paper guides, which must be subjected to strict sanitation procedures in order to be used in total safety.

Not unlike what happened across the Alps a week later, therefore, we will return to enjoy the artistic heritage, but the way in which museums are used and access to the exhibition halls will change significantly.