The two touristic gems will reopen on Wednesday next week…

Earlier this week Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) announced a set of guidelines for reopening cultural sites.

They have now confirmed that the first phase of reopening will begin on Wednesday June 24, 2020. This initial wave includes including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Hosn and the Cultural Foundation.

In the Al Ain region of the emirate, we’ll also see Al Ain Palace Museum, Al Ain Oasis, Al Jahili Fort and Qasr Al Muwaiji welcoming back visitors.

If you are heading that way, you’ll need to book those tickets in advance, via the various websites.

The reopening comes after these cultural gems were able to demonstrate compliance with the strict framework of safety requirements put in place by the DCT.

Rules that include the continued suspension of workshops, programmes and tours, as well as mandatory digital guides as opposed to printed versions. All touch screens will be removed from the facilities too.

For staff to be able to return to work, they must have tested negative for Covid-19, there must also be a designated isolation room for suspected cases. Glass partitions should be installed where possible to further combat the spread of germs.

Sterilisers and thermal detection devices will be placed at the entrances of each facility and regular cleaning and sterilisation should be conducted throughout.

When visitors do return they must keep a minimum distance of two meters from others, whilst wearing masks and gloves, and there will be a 40 per cent capacity at all venues.

The maximum time each visitor is allowed to stay at a facility is three hours.

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If you can’t wait, why not check out the Louvre’s most recent virtual exhibition ‘We Are Not Alone‘.

It’s narrated by Hollywood legend, Willem Dafoe, with support from Hussain Al Jassmi, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Zhou Dongyu, Nina Kraviz, Wim Wenders and Jean Nouvel.

It invites culture fans to go on an intergalactic journey of exploration set against the stunning backdrop of Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The virtual exhibit poses questions about the nature of humanity, reality and destiny, told from the perspective of a futuristic post-human civilisation.

And if that all sounds a bit ‘out there’ and meta, trust us, it absolutely is, but gloriously so.

Find the tour here, louvreabudhabi.ae