Health Minister: museums, galleries, cultural monuments could reopen on May 24

As of next Monday, all museums, galleries and sights in the regions of the Czech Republic obliged to shut their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic will reopen, Health Minister Petr Arenberger told reporters on Thursday.

Group tours, however, are not yet permitted. This applies above all to cultural monuments, such as palaces and castles. According to Arenberger, the first major easing in the cultural sector should take place on May 24. However, he did not name the conditions for that to happen beyond a maximum of 50 percent capacity for cultural events in buildings.

Arenberger and Minister of Culture Lubomír Zaorálek have yet to agree on what conditions should be for a resumption of cultural activities, with the health minister envisaging requiring the more expensive PCR tests and Zaorálek antigen tests.