Theatres and museums shut as Covid fears mount
The Natural History Museum and Edinburgh Castle, as well as three other national attractions, have closed this week due to a surge in Omicron cases.
Natural History Museum announced it will be closed from Tuesday “due to an unforeseen staff shortage”, which has hit them in the peak of the normally busy Christmas school holiday period.
The Kensington-based museum said it would remain closed for at least a week.
London’s Wellcome Collection in Euston, the National Army Museum in Chelsea, and the Foundling Museum in Bloomsbury have also shut for the holidays, according to reports from The Guardian this afternoon.
Although it remains open, The British Museum warned visitors that some galleries may have to close at short notice, likely because of staff shortages.
This afternoon, the Young Vic theatre announced that it would be cancelling its remaining December shows.
The trend is bound to have a knock-on impact to museum finances, which have already had a turbulent time over the past two years.
The closure comes as many other businesses voluntarily close during the Christmas holidays as the government raise concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus variant.