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  • June 17, 2020 3:38 PM | Anonymous

    Reposted from The New York Times

    Upon arriving at work, employees should get a temperature and symptom check.

    Inside the office, desks should be six feet apart. If that isn’t possible, employers should consider erecting plastic shields around desks.

    Seating should be barred in common areas.

    And face coverings should be worn at all times.

    These are among sweeping new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the safest way for American employers reopening their offices to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

    If followed, the guidelines would lead to a far-reaching remaking of the corporate work experience. They even upend years of advice on commuting, urging people to drive to work by themselves, instead of taking mass transportation or car-pooling, to avoid potential exposure to the virus.

    The recommendations run from technical advice on ventilation systems (more open windows are most desirable) to suggested abolition of communal perks like latte makers and snack bins.

    “Replace high-touch communal items, such as coffee pots, water coolers, and bulk snacks, with alternatives such as prepackaged, single-serving items,” the guidelines say.

    And some border on the impractical, if not near impossible: “Limit use and occupancy of elevators to maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet.”

    The C.D.C., the nation’s top public health agency, posted the guidelines on its website as states are beginning to lift their most stringent lockdown orders. Shops, restaurants, beaches and parks are reopening in phases. But white-collar office employees at all levels mostly continue to work from home, able to function effectively with laptops, video conferencing and Slack.

    Some of the measures are in keeping with what some employers are already planning, but other employers may simply decide it’s easier to keep employees working from home.

    “Companies, surprisingly, don’t want to go back to work,” said Russell Hancock, president and CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, a nonprofit think tank that studies the region. “You will not see the drum beat and hue and cry and rush to get back to the office.”

    Citing extreme examples like Twitter, which has said it may never return to corporate office space, Mr. Hancock said that he has heard similar things from both Silicon Valley companies and those outside the region. Many are planning to stay safe by thinning who is required to come to work, along with making plans consistent with the C.D.C. guidelines.

    “Incessant disinfecting of surfaces, cleansing out your HVAC,” he said, referring to the ventilation system, “opening windows, ventilation, all of those things.”

    Tracy Wymer, vice president of workplace for Knoll, Inc., a large office-furniture company, who has been in discussions with numerous companies about the safest way to reopen, said he agreed with much of what the C.D.C. was advising but he added that a big part of successful reopening would involve employee compliance.

    “The biggest factor is on the work force and the personal responsibility they must take in making this reality work,” he said.

    The C.D.C. addressed that part too, reiterating what has become a kind of national mantra: regular hand washing of at least 20 seconds; no fist bumps or handshakes; no face touching.

    The C.D.C. recommended that the isolation for employees should begin before they get to work — on their commute. In a stark change from public policy guidelines in the recent past, the agency said individuals should drive to work — alone.

    Employers should support this effort, the agency said: “Offer employees incentives to use forms of transportation that minimize close contact with others, such as offering reimbursement for parking for commuting to work alone or single-occupancy rides.”

    Smaller companies also have already been discussing how to reopen, some with the kinds of ideas the C.D.C. is recommending. But there are distinctive challenges in many offices. For instance, those that do not have windows that open to the outside, permitting ventilation; have little or no access to outdoor space; or are small and open, with floor plans that were de rigueur just six months ago and now are verboten.

    Peter Kimmel, the publisher of FMLink, a publication serving the facilities management industry, said that the C.D.C. guidelines are “a good checklist of what needs to be done.”

    But they also raise numerous questions, he said, including how social distancing will work. “This means many fewer workplaces per floor, reducing the density considerably. Where will the remaining workers be housed? Will the furniture work in the new layout?” he asked.

    “While there are many solutions, these often require substantial thought and a budget that likely doesn’t exist,” he said.

    Mobify, a Vancouver-based company with 40 employees that helps build digital storefronts for major retailers, moved back into its office last week and has already made a number of the changes recommended by the C.D.C. The building’s landlord now requires mask use in the elevator. Other changes the company made on its own.

    “One person per table. We put arrows on the floor so people will go to the restroom one direction and come out the other,” said Igor Faletski, the company’s chief executive. “No more shared food. Sanitation stations with wipes.”

    At the same time, he said, there may be a larger force at work: the impulses of the workers themselves.

    “Since we opened up last week, only five employees have come in,” he said. “Because the office is quite big, there was room for people to sit in different corners.”

    See Original Post

  • June 17, 2020 3:32 PM | Anonymous

    Reposted from Pinnacol Assurance

    Colorado businesses are beginning the gradual transition from pandemic-induced closings to reentry mode. 

    While every business must make changes to reopen safely, there’s no single approach that will work for everyone. Employers must stay flexible and focused. 

    “This will be a continuous improvement process — not something where you set up your plan, open your doors and you’re ready to go,”says Jon Vonder Haar, safety consultant at Pinnacol. “It will be constantly evolving. Guidance may change based on the information coming in.” 

    To help you prepare, we have put together tips for creating your reentry strategy, broken into four critical areas.                                                                         

    Who will the reopening impact? 

    Knowing who can report to work is critical to operations planning. Many workplaces can have only half of employees present under the Governor’s Safer at Home” order.

    Start by identifying vulnerable populations who remain under the stay-at-home order, such as workers overage 65 or those who have diabetes or heart conditions. You cannot compel these employees to return to on-site work, and you must continue to provide accommodations for them to work from home

    You should have the right equipment and support available to enable remote workers, such as storing key information off-site and creating a communication protocol.

    You should also offer flexible schedules or remote work opportunities to employees with eldercare or childcare responsibilities and to those who have a vulnerable individual in their household. 

    Once you know who can and can’t return to the work site, make adjustments that accommodate changes in work, such as: 

    • Assigning temporary duties to employees as appropriate.
    • Making training considerations for any employee taking on new or different tasks. This can mean you provide training for temporary assignments or according to new workplace practices (e.g., hand hygiene and cleaning/disinfecting).
    • Training returning workers in things such as the proper way to wash their hands. You may need to document these trainings, per new statewide and countywide policies. 
    • Reviewing leave benefits for employees at home and on the work site. 

      Where will the reopening occur?

    Make your building a healthy environment where your team can thrive.

    Workplaces with more than 50 employees on-site must implement more strategies. Either develop a business policy or setup stations for temperature checks and symptom screenings, close your common areas, and implement mandatory cleaning and disinfection protocols. 

    ‍When will the reopening happen?      

    Have a target date in mind to reopen. Consider the unique aspects of your operations while planning reopening. It could take hours or weeks to get ready. 

    “So much depends on the scope of the business’s operation,” notes Tom Jensen, OHST and senior safety consultant at Pinnacol. “Are they a small retailer with 1,000 square feet of space where everyone does the same job, or are they a larger business with multiple operations and types of work, with vehicles, tools and equipment?” 

    You may need to set new hours of operation if you lack the staff to maintain your old hours. Staggered starts and shifts can reduce the number of employees on-site at any given time. 

    Reduce peak traffic in and out of the facility by setting off-peak office hours, such as after 5 p.m. or before 8 a.m. This is one way to offer scheduling flexibility to vulnerable workers or those with a vulnerable person in the household.

    Eliminate shared workspaces if you can and assign equipment mindfully. The more people who use that one space or thing, the more you have to clean. 

    ‍How will you lead the reopening? 

    Determining how to implement changes may be the most challenging aspect for many businesses. “Give different things a try and see what works. As mentioned earlier, this is a continuous improvement process,” Vonder Haar says. 

    To promote the health and safety of employees, employers must follow measures required by the public health order. These activities include: ‍

    Your coordinator can also study industry-specific guidance and requirements from the CDPHE, which cover: 

    • Critical and noncritical retail.
    • Field services.
    • Noncritical office-based businesses and offices.
    • Personal services.
    • Limited health care settings, such as medical, dental and veterinary.
    • Non-critical manufacturing

    Your coordinator can also study industry-specific guidance and requirements from the CDPHE.

    Considerations for customers and vendors

    In addition to looking out for the safety of your employees, you also need to account for customers, patients or vendors who come through your doors. 

    Eliminate direct contact when possible by using electronic correspondence, no-touch trash containers, gloves and masks, and contactless payment methods. Other precautions include: 

    • Setting up hand sanitizer dispensers at entrances.
    • Dedicating hours for vulnerable individuals only.
    • Screening visitors for symptoms before they enter.

    “This whole process can be confusing and difficult,” Jensen says. Ask Pinnacol if you aren’t sure about something, such as whether a stated guidance is a requirement or a suggestion.

    See Original Post

  • June 17, 2020 3:28 PM | Anonymous

    Reposted from American Libraries Magazine

    Keeping libraries safe is important for both workers and guests. But during the current COVID-19 pandemic, questions about how to do that—particularly when it comes to materials and surfaces—have complicated answers.

    It’s an unprecedented situation. Conservators, who are experienced in diagnosing and repairing collection damage, say that historical information on sanitizing library materials is lacking. Besides a bit of anecdotal evidence from a 2019 Smithsonian Magazine article, there’s very little historical data available, says Evan Knight, preservation specialist at the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners: “There’s nothing published or shared from previous epidemics.”

    It’s also a challenge to sift through evolving research. A January study in the Journal of Hospital Infection reported that coronaviruses similar to SARS-CoV-2, the one responsible for COVID-19, can persist on some inanimate surfaces (such as metal, glass, and plastic) for as long as nine days and on paper for four or five days. Meanwhile, recent data from the National Institutes of Health indicate SARS-CoV-2 is detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, on copper for up to four hours, on cardboard for up to 24 hours, and on plastic and stainless steel for perhaps only two to three days.

    The pandemic also presents challenges of a more philosophical nature. “[It’s] difficult to reconcile the public health requirements of this pandemic with our mission,” says Jacob Nadal, director for preservation at the Library of Congress (LC), which closed to the public on March 12 and has canceled events through July 1. “It is heartbreaking to see how this disease forces us to step back at exactly the time we want to step up.”

    Time is the best disinfectant

    Yet stepping back may be the best defense against a still developing threat. The easiest, safest, and most inexpensive disinfectant is time. “This pandemic is a unique situation for most conservators, so we don’t know a lot about disinfecting generally, and this virus specifically,” says Knight. “Our view is that prophylaxis, or preventive measures, are best.”

    Fletcher Durant, director of conservation and preservation at the University of Florida’s George A. Smathers Libraries, suggests that all libraries follow the March 17 ALA recommendation to close to the public. “Isolation for a minimum of 24 hours, and preferably 14 days, is the best disinfectant,” he says. “It is simply the best and safest thing that we as librarians can do at this time.” Durant says it’s about protecting libraries as well as the public. “Libraries could provide a risk vector for the spread of the disease, which, beyond the direct health impacts, could reduce the public trust in libraries,” he says.

    That also means libraries should plan to stay closed until the risk of public infection is eliminated. “We would be the first to say that we are not equipped to make recommendations on virology, bacteriology, or medical matters,” says Nadal. “Quarantine past the viability of the virus is the best plan.”

    Cleaning and sanitizing

    Some libraries, however, have a mission that precludes complete quarantine. LC, for example, continues to support Congress while it’s in session, which requires some staff to be onsite. Other libraries are maintaining services with curbside checkouts of materials. That means additional sanitizing methods are warranted.

    Internal hard surfaces, including tabletops, door handles, book drops, and computers, should be professionally cleaned. Experts also note that virtual reality headsets have been flagged as a risk factor, and libraries should postpone their use. “If at all possible, hire a professional cleaning service that has appropriate training and personal protective equipment to do this work,” says Nadal. “This is a time for exceptional caution.”

    Any staff working onsite should institute thorough hand-washing, especially when handling books or any shared objects in the library. “There are no studies that specifically answer the question of how transmissible the coronavirus might be from the most common library materials, [such as] coated and uncoated paper, book cloth, or polyester book jackets,” Nadal says. “We have to look for high-quality information and evaluate it critically to determine how well it applies to our particular concerns.”

    Avoiding materials damage

    Knight says librarians should be cautious when using cleaning solvents on books and other potentially fragile library materials. “I am not aware of a ‘least damaging’ cleaner or disinfectant, especially for any objects of obvious lasting value,” he says, explaining that the risks to books subjected to aqueous cleaning or disinfecting include water damage and weakened hinges and joints. “Books wrapped in polyester or polyethylene can be more reasonably cleaned and disinfected, and strong library-binding buckram cloth coverings can probably withstand the enhanced cleaning too,” he adds. “But again, if one is planning to clean and disinfect collections, even among poly-covered volumes, they should understand and accept that there will be collection damage.”

    There’s evidence that certain methods may not be effective anyway. “Common misperceptions may be that spraying or wiping the outside of a volume with Lysol, alcohol, or bleach is sufficient to denature the virus across the entire volume,” says Durant.

    Ultraviolet (UV) light also poses a potential risk to collection materials because of its high intensity. And because of how difficult it is to confirm that every page has been exposed to the light, the effort could prove fruitless. “UV germicidal irradiation has generally been found to be effective at exposure of 2–5 millijoules per square centimeter [mJ/cm2],” says Durant. “However, for this exposure to be effective, it must be complete exposure, [which is] something that is almost impossible to achieve with bound books. It’s certainly not as effective as simply isolating the books for at least 14 days.”

    Yet even as libraries continue to learn new preservation procedures, certain constants remain. “This is a good time to think about the role of libraries as stewards of memory and culture,” says Nadal. “We are going to be closed for a period of time, and our ethic of constant service will make this painful. Keeping materials quarantined and out of circulation will be frustrating. [But] we are keepers of a long history, and our foremost obligation now is to make sure that there is a long future for the recorded knowledge and creativity entrusted into our care.”

    See Original Post

  • June 17, 2020 3:23 PM | Anonymous

    Reposted from Pinnacol Assurance

    As nonessential employees re-enter the workplace, face masks are becoming an integral tool in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19).

    According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, research shows that people who have no symptoms can spread COVID-19. Wearing a non-medical face mask helps minimize the spread of the virus. The department recommends that everyone wear a mask when in public.

    Most of us aren't used to wearing masks, so it's normal to have questions. Let's dive into the answers to some key questions about proper mask protocol.

    Where can I get a cloth face mask? How can I make one?

    Unless you're front-line personnel, a DIY cloth mask is probably all you need. That helps reserve N95 respirators for healthcare workers and first responders.

    Many employers are providing masks, if possible; if yours doesn't, you can consider making your own.

    The Colorado Mask Project has instructions and patterns. It recommends that masks include the following:

    • Two layers of closed-weave fabric. Studies find that cotton and nylon are the best fabric choices. 
    • Pocket for removable filter. Paper towels, shop towels and coffee filters all work.
    • Flexible nose clip, which can be fashioned from pipe cleaners.
    • Comfortable and secure mask ties, such as bias tape, elastic, or even T-shirt fabric.

    WHAT ARE SOME BEST PRACTICES FOR SAFELY PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF A FACE MASK?

    A face mask is protective only if you handle and wear it correctly. Follow these best practices for the best results:

    • Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water both before and after handling your mask.
    • Make sure your face mask doesn't have tears, missing ties, or other defects before wearing.
    • Be careful not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth while putting your mask on and taking it off.
    • Make sure it fits securely to cover your mouth and nose, with the bottom edge under your chin.
    • Avoid touching your mask during wear.
    • When taking your mask off, assume it's contaminated and use only the straps around the ears to remove it.
    • Remember to maintain recommended physical distance from others, even while wearing a face mask.
    • Cloth face masks should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

    How should I care for my face mask?

    Sanitation is the name of the game. Fortunately, cloth face masks are easy to take care of. Follow these guidelines:

    • When taking off your mask, immediately drop it in a bucket of soapy water.
    • If you're only removing the mask temporarily, set it on a piece of paper or put it in a zip-top bag with the outer surface of the mask folded inward and against itself.
    • Wash your mask frequently in a washing machine. Dry it on high heat.

    HOW CAN I KEEP MY SUNGLASSES, GOGGLES OR OTHER EYE-COVERINGS FROM FOGGING UP?

    If your eyewear gets foggy when you’re wearing a mask, try these tricks:

    • Wash lenses with soapy water, then allow them to air-dry.
    • Make sure the top of your mask is tighter and the bottom looser to keep moist air from heading up.
    • Use a folded piece of tissue around the top of the face mask as a barrier against your breath.
    • Use a commercial anti-fogging solution.

    As we enter our new normal, wearing a mask is a small price to pay for increased health and safety. So, don your new accessory with fashion and pride.

    See Original Post

  • June 17, 2020 3:19 PM | Anonymous

    Reposted from ICOM

    As lockdowns gradually come to an end in several regions and countries, museums have to revise and update their health security protocols to reopen properly. While national regulations vary depending on the specific evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are some basic measures that can be taken to protect the health of both visitors and staff.

    PREPARING FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE PUBLIC

    • Define a maximum number of visitors allowed into the museum and inform the public about it
    • Define a maximum number of visitors per exhibition room and inform the public (it is recommended to set a maximum number of people per square meters to allow a safety distance of 1.5 m between each visitor)
    • Determine average visit time to establish time slots
    • Consider a gradual reopening of exhibitions
    • As far as possible, set up a booking system (online, by phone and/or by e-mail). Set up an online ticketing system. Online tickets can be scanned by visitors themselves at the entrance to the museum
    • Consider extended opening hours
    • Consider opening hours dedicated to certain groups of public (e.g. > 65 years of age)
    • Deny access to persons showing symptoms of the disease
    • Notify the public of context-related restrictions on the institution’s website (if applicable) and before entering the museum

    PUBLIC ACCESS – ADAPTING THE FLOW OF VISITORS

    • Avoid or manage lines at entrances and counters
    • Consider ground markings for lines to ensure that the recommended distance of 1.5 m is maintained
    • Ensuring distance between visitors and reception counters, possibly installing glass to protect staff and visitors
    • Close the cloakrooms requiring the presence of staff (lockers can remain available if they are disinfected regularly between uses) to avoid unnecessary handling and contact
    • Ensure that separate flows of entrances and exits are maintained and provide a one-way tour of the rooms (if possible)
    • Guided tours and educational offers can be provided if the safety distance between participants is respected. If this is the case, define specific time slots for group visits and restrict their size
    • The openings of common commercial areas (cafeteria, bookshop, shops) are subject to specific national regulations

    PUBLIC ACCESS – STRENGTHENING HEALTH MEASURES

    • Install hand sanitizer dispensers at the entrance of the museum and provide warning signs to encourage visitors to respect the health measures in force
    • Ensure that visitors have access to toilets (allowing them to wash their hands with soap and hot water and giving preference to disposable hygienic material in this respect) and adapt this access to the rules of social distancing in force (marking on the ground, etc.)
    • Ensure that devices such as audio guides, headphones and other similar equipment that require handling are systematically disinfected after each use
    • Disability-assisted facilities and exposed devices with control buttons for educational purposes should be cleaned frequently with disinfectants
    • Interior doors will remain open (if possible). Otherwise, they must be disinfected each time they are used

    PUBLIC ACCESS – RESTRICTING SOME ACCESS IF NECESSARY

    • Restricting access to rooms and facilities that cannot be fully cleaned or disinfected
    • Closing installations (e.g. contemporary art) that involve visitor interaction
    • Lifts must be reserved for persons with reduced mobility, ensuring that the distance of 1.5 m is respected between each user. The control buttons must be disinfected after each use
    • If the common areas do not allow the application of the rules of social distancing, an adjustment of timetables and traffic could be considered

    RECEPTION AND SECURITY STAFF

    • Security staff must be present at the reception desk and in the museum rooms to ensure not only that there is sufficient distance between the visitor and the works on display, but also to make sure there is sufficient distance between visitors themselves. If necessary, to guarantee the safety of the works and visitors, the teams can be supplemented by additional staff
    • Provide staff with adequate protective devices (cash register protection, masks, disinfectants), mandatory condition for opening to the public

    CLEANING AND CONSERVATION MEASURES

    • Increase cleaning intervals according to national regulations
    • All areas of the museum accessible to the public will be cleaned daily, as a minimum
    • To ensure the conservation of museum collections, see also the updated recommendations on the subject

    IN THE OFFICE

    • Consider sustainable adaptation of emergency plans
    • Extend work loans to minimize movement, handling, and transportation
    • The areas accessible to staff will be cleaned in accordance with national guidelines
    • Common equipment used by several staff members will need to be disinfected regularly. In the absence of disinfection standards, this equipment shall not be used
    • Staff will clean their workplace daily with alcohol-based wipes or paper towels, regardless of the cleaning service in place
    • Any employee whose activity does not require an on-site presence will continue to work from home and in accordance with national regulations

    Finally, it is recommended that museums that are not in a position to respond to these measures extend their temporary closings.

    See Original Post

  • June 17, 2020 3:12 PM | Anonymous

    Reposted from Artnet News - Opinion

    In the early evening of Wednesday, February 26, the crowd thronged the opening of “Young Rembrandt” at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum. We shook hands and brushed shoulders, air-kissed or embraced our friends, and leaned in to continue conversations as the director’s welcome rang through the thick atmosphere of wine and canapés. Today, to our immense collective sadness, through the time-warp and culture-shock effects of lockdown, our sociality of just a few weeks ago feels like a half-remembered dream of some distant ancient culture—one with radically different attitudes toward bodily contact, public health, and freedoms of association and assembly. In our absence, the galleries have gathered dust, reduced to mere storerooms.

    When we finally unlock the museums, how will be find them transformed?

    From comparable parts of the economy—the tourism, aviation or hospitality industries, for example—we learn that the COVID-19 era may accelerate certain structural changes that were already in process. The weekend before “Young Rembrandt” opened its Oxford chapter, Meta Knol, the director of the Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden, the Netherlands, which had hosted the first stage of this traveling exhibition, published her reflection on the so-called “Year of Rembrandt” that overtook 2019. Knol’s assessment of this celebration of the 350-year anniversary of the painter’s death, titled “Blockbuster Addiction,” was unequivocal. “This was the last time,” she wrote. “It really can’t go on.”

    As cultural workers have adjusted to home-working, furlough, and home-schooling while trying to keep their mental health together, these past few weeks have also provided a time for reflection. Knol’s words have frequently come to mind. The future of many museum operations—events, education, outreach—could hardly be more uncertain. Careers and livelihoods are on the line.

    A sense of precariousness is not unfamiliar to museum workers who were already living through austerity, Brexit, and the deregulation of the workforce. But long before this current health crisis, the skepticism about whether commercially-driven blockbuster exhibitions could ever plug the widening gaps in public funding for museums was already part of a much bigger existential question: Is the dominant model for 21st-century museums sustainable?

    The concept of the “universal museum” was thought up by a group of museum directors as a coping mechanism for a prior crisis at the start of the millennium. In November 2002, the declaration of “the importance and value of universal museums” recast the most powerful cultural institutions of the Global North as custodians of world heritage, instruments of cross-cultural contact, and engines of destination tourism as the post-9/11 aviation industry sought to get back on its feet. As preparations for the 2003 Bush-Blair invasion of Iraq advanced, the British Museum forged a new corporate partnership with oil giant BP, and a light was shone on forgotten connections among extractive industries, militarist colonialism, and the public display of cultural property.

    In the COVID-19 era, a different, more forensic light is now being shone into these vast storehouses, the self-styled “universal museums”—revealing fatigue in their shallow ideological foundations. First, social distancing throws into relief the absurdity of the hyper-concentration of cultural heritage in just a handful of metropolitan galleries, in the name of accessibility to an “international” public. Second, travel restrictions expose the short-term quality of an institutional financial model based on infinite growth in globe-trotting visitors. Some have even suggested that budgetary pressures will lead to deaccessioning and sales of artworks by museums, which would, in a stroke, remove the third remaining leg of the universal museum stool: their claim to safeguard culture for all humanity.

    Social distancing and travel restrictions have exposed this fatigue, and are precipitating processes of rupture, but here coronavirus is a catalyst rather than a cause. A diminished airline industry and a revolution in working from home may have arrived sooner than expected—but neither comes as a surprise. And as a result, the model of the “universal museum” has failed.

    This failure is one of economic resilience, but it also shows a loss of social legitimacy, as we see most clearly in the field of colonial restitution where the shaky moral justification offered for exhibiting world culture in a few Euro-American capital cities disintegrates as people stop flying. Over two decades, our most powerful institutions have promoted the hyper-centralization of the arts and heritage sector. In the UK, sustained cuts to local museum services have served to lock in an unsustainable reliance on domestic as well as international travel. The hubris of the richest institutions has maximized, rather than mitigated, the museum sector’s vulnerability to finding itself on a disorderly front line, alongside the airlines and the oil industry, as the world catches up with the reality of Net Zero and starts to reassemble a new green economy.

    The reality that preceded the coronavirus was already a period of reflection and scrutiny and far from a Golden Age for Europe’s museums. One major outcome of the Rembrandt-packed exhibition year in 2019 was for the very notion of the Golden Age to be called into question, since it serves to whitewash the ongoing legacies of slavery and colonial violence.

    Then, just days before “Young Rembrandt” opened in Oxford, on February 7 and 8, the British Museum witnessed the largest protest in its 267-year history. #BPMustFall climate activists staged an extraordinary, peaceful occupation with a wooden Trojan Horse to oppose BP’s sponsorship of the exhibition “Troy: Myth and Reality”; in doing so, they joined the dots between the fights for decarbonization and decolonization. Museums’ universalist model of blockbusters was being questioned, including the green-washing of disaster capitalism that bankrolls it, the carbon footprint that lies behind it, and the ongoing geopolitical history of inequality and dispossession that sits beneath it.

    The world has never needed museums more than it does today. Before the present crisis, a new kind of humanism was already emerging as curators sought to reframe their role as carers for people, communities, places, and environments rather than just conservers and presenters of objects for fleeting global audiences. In her article, Knol from the Museum De Lakenhal called for museums to start “telling local stories with a universal appeal, not as an expression of provincialism, but explicitly because we need to find new ways to understand the world.” The Ashmolean’s Rembrandt exhibition closed within its first month, but it can now be visited online. Such digital innovation will without a doubt proliferate and evolve—but that’s just one part of the story. The improvisations now required of us are not dress-rehearsals for the changes that climate emergency demands, but urgent and necessary first steps in navigating sweeping structural change.

    We can no longer justify these concentrations of art, heritage, and culture in just a handful of metropolitan institutions, where so little is on display. Cultural funding and objects must now be equitably redistributed and no longer be used to prop up the most powerful museums. At this tipping point, let’s rebalance the value that we afford to smaller museums, those outside of the wealthiest capitals and in smaller cities and towns, as well as across the Global South, where museums are already being reimagined as human processes rather than bank vaults. Let us learn from and invest in non-universal museums that sustain different human worlds, environments, and communities, “multiversal museums” that care for people before caring for objects and that are unique public spaces for building communities.

    As the culture shock of these times sinks in, we must not cling to the failed model of infinite visitor growth, but begin cultural redistribution and de-growth that builds more equitable global futures through art and heritage. A new sense of scale and a new ethos of humanity, resilience, justice, remembrance, equality, restitution, environmentalism, and care were already emerging in the museums sector. These values must now be the building blocks of our collective future.

    Dan Hicks is an archaeologist, art historian, anthropologist, professor of Contemporary Archaeology at the University of Oxford, curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum, and a Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford. 

    See Original Post

  • June 17, 2020 3:09 PM | Anonymous

    Reposted from Artnet News

    Five protesters were arrested after attempting to seize an African funerary object from Paris’s Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac with the hopes of returning it to Africa.

    While the museum was open on Friday, the protesters made a 30-minute video documenting the theft, which was later uploaded online. “The names at the entrance of this museum are the names of colonizers who pillaged the art that is now here,” said the activist Mwazulu Diyabanza in the video, before grabbing the 19th-century wooden ritual pole object from its stand. “These items were pillaged between 1880 and 1960 under colonialism.”

    The five activists were released from jail this weekend after community mobilization, according to posts on social media. A video posted online shows Dyabanza greeted with cheers and applause after exiting the police station. Diyanbanza, who is from Congo, says he is not allowed to leave France until his trial and is not permitted on the premises of the museum again.

    In a statement to the press, culture minister Franck Riester condemned the act with “utmost firmness,” saying that actions such as these “damage” cultural heritage.

    “While the debate on the restitution of works from the African continent is perfectly legitimate, it can in no way justify this type of action,” Riester said. “The work does not appear to have suffered any significant deterioration and the museum will take immediate action to carry out any necessary restoration work.”

    The incident in Paris comes amid a wave of global protests denouncing racism after the death of George Floyd in the US at the end of May. Europe has seen widespread protests and attacks on colonial monuments in the UK and Belgium too.

    According to a GoFundMe drive organized for Diyanbanza and the others who assisted him at the museum, members of the group face up to seven years in prison and a fine of €100,000. Their trial takes place September.

    “We expected this,” Diyanbanza says in the video after leaving jail, adding that it is a fight that continues in Berlin, Switzerland, and London. “These goods and the money accrued during their exhibition must be returned.”

    “This act is the trigger for other powerful actions for the restitution of our stolen, looted and plundered goods,” Diyanbanza told Artnet News. “We are risking a lot, but what is this risk worth in the face of the corpses of women, children, young and old massacred before their deaths!”

    The museum filed a complaint with the police and an investigation is underway, according to the ministry. The museum did not respond to a request for comment.

    The museum’s new director, Emmanuel Kasarhérou, who is of French and Melanesian descent, has the unique challenge of figuring out how to honor President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 statement that the country would return cultural heritage to sub-Saharan Africa, which came after a landmark report urged France to take dramatic steps toward restitution. The Quai Branly holds at least 70,000 objects from that region alone; 66 percent of them entered the museum during the colonial era.

    Since Macron’s statement, one object from the Quai Branly, a 19th-century saber seized from modern-day Mali, has been returned. The government also said the museum would return 26 looted artifacts to Benin by 2021. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Kasarhérou described the report as “very militant.”

    “Western museology was born in the 19th century,” said a co-author of the report, Felwine Sarr, in a video interview. “It was a concept made for these objects.” Sarr added that the objects should be “resocialized” into African communities, including into schools, art venues, and research centers.

    During the filming at the museum, Diyabanza noted that he paid €12 to enter the museum. “We did the calculation to see how much money our artworks generated for this museum” and the profits generated by the museum is into the billions, he said. “Today, we are recuperating what is ours.”

    See Original Post

  • June 17, 2020 3:05 PM | Anonymous

    Reposted from the BBC

    The latest issue of the jihadist group's online magazine One Ummah uses the iconic image of George Floyd's last moments and a painting by the graffiti artist Banksy to help deliver its message of unsolicited support to protesters on US streets.

    The English-language issue, clearly aimed at a domestic US audience, predicts the imminent demise of the US and its political system as well its economy and society. 

    "Armed protests rage across America and a civil war appears to be in the offing," reads its commentary. One of its messages is that, "not even the Democrats can help you but we can".

    Mina Al-Lami from BBC Monitoring says there is a contrast between the approaches of al-Qaeda and its main rival, the Islamic State group (IS). Whereas IS has simply been gloating at America's discomfort and predicting that the unrest will spread to other countries, al-Qaeda has been more subtle, reaching out and trying to convert Americans to its version of Islam and its cause, she says. 

    The magazine piece, our analyst suggests, has clearly been written by someone who has a good knowledge of what is going on in the US.

    Seeking to return

    Al-Qaeda has largely been eclipsed in recent years by IS. But Dr Shiraz Maher, the Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King's College London, believes it is proactively trying to show it still has relevance on the world stage.

    "It [the Black Lives Matter protests] is a huge current event... which is having a cascading effect across the globe and beyond the media and political sphere into the cultural and artistic realm," Dr Maher says. "So al-Qaeda is seeking to move into that space and trying to say, 'look here we are'."

    There is a profound irony that a group with one of the most oppressive and bloodthirsty ideologies in the Middle East should now be presenting itself to angry Americans as champions of their cause against police brutality and systemic racism. 

    Al-Qaeda, which under the leadership of the late Osama Bin Laden, carried out the worst-ever terrorist attack in US history in September 2001, imposed a rule of such intolerance when it held sway in Iraq's Falluja province that it cut men's fingers off if it caught them smoking cigarettes. 

    It has since spawned violent offshoots all over the world, including IS. 

    Yet, despite occasional and isolated attack, such as the one by an al-Qaeda-inspired Saudi at Pensacola, Florida, in December 2019, both groups have until now largely failed to build significant support in the US population. This is in marked contrast to Europe whose cities have produced numerous hotbeds of jihadist sympathisers from the 1990s onwards.

    For months Western intelligence chiefs have been warning that al-Qaeda has not gone away, it has simply been waiting for the right opportunities. 

    Already this year both al-Qaeda and IS have trumpeted the way Covid-19 has afflicted the US and the UK particularly badly, saying this is just retribution for these two countries' actions in the Middle East. Yet Iran currently has over 175,000 people infected and Egypt is now reportedly experiencing around 2,000 new infections daily.

    Challenge for Western intelligence

    Today the fugitive jihadist group is trying to make common cause with those in the US protesting against police brutality and racial discrimination, but urging them towards violent action. 

    Certainly their intervention, if it is noticed, is likely to be most unwelcome for protesters.

    Al-Qaeda is a proscribed terrorist organisation that killed nearly 3,000 Americans in the 11 September attacks and has vowed to keep targeting Americans. 

    So how worried should US counter-terrorism officials be? Dr Shiraz Maher, who has spent the last 20 years studying the group and its ideology, believes this is all about exploiting opportunities. 

    "The nature of this type of propaganda is that it's always trying to cast the fishing net out there. They just need to hook in one person to say 'look how successful our campaign was'," Dr Maher says. 

    "And that's the great difficulty Western intelligence and law enforcement face when trying to mitigate this type of threat."

    See Original Post

  • June 09, 2020 4:21 PM | Anonymous

    Reposted from CNN

    For more than a week Americans have flooded the streets of major metropolitan areas across the country in protest of racially-motivated police brutality sparked by George Floyd's death in police custody. 

    While most protests and marches have been peaceful, civil unrest has prompted looting and property damage in cities like New York.

    Though most public gathering spaces like museums have been closed since March for social-distancing precautions amid the coronavirus pandemic, the civil unrest poses a unique security concern for those in charge of protecting the priceless art housed around the city.


    There are 130 museums in the five boroughs of New York City, according to city data, including some renowned museums that house the work of world-famous artists. 

    Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night sits not far from Claude Monet's Water Lily Pond in the halls of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMa). The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art are both home to Pablo Picasso's paintings and other priceless collections. 

    And for many, museums are a cultural haven.

    'It's not too late, but you have to have a plan'

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art alone sees more than 7 million visitors in a year.

    "Many people in the city see museums as safe places for having meaningful conversation about difficult subjects. Art is sometimes a bridge to do that," Marianne Lamonaca told CNN.

    Lamonaca is the associate gallery director and chief curator at the Bard Graduate Center in New York and the president of the board of trustees for the Association of Art Museum Curators.

    Cultural institutions must have a plan and coordinate with local agencies including federal law enforcement to plan for potential emergencies, art protection expert Stevan Layne told CNN. 

    Layne, founding director of the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection, is one of the security experts working with cultural institutions across the country whose leaders are trying to protect their priceless but currently empty institutions. 

    "We're saying it's not too late, but you have to have a plan. Police are overwhelmed, they can't be everywhere. They can't handle everything," he said.

    Most major institutions have secure storage spaces often in another location entirely to protect the most valuable works, Layne said. Now the IFCPP is cautioning museums to remove exhibits from the main floor because it'd likely be the most at risk in the case of a break-in.

    At least one museum in the city, The Whitney Museum of American Art, has boarded up their floor-to-ceiling windows.

    Layne says he tells his colleagues to take these precautions if they can, but the cost is high. And for those institutions that rely on daily ticket revenue, they likely can't afford the resources because of coronavirus-related losses. 

    Debate over controversial cultural installations

    Controversial cultural installations in museums and public spaces have been at the center of debate in recent years. 

    "It's really always been an issue, what to do with monuments that are offensive to certain groups. This is no more different today than in Charlottesville in 2017," Margaret Holben Ellis, president and fellow of The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) told CNN.

    Conservators are the ones to maintain cultural heritage installations but also repair them when they are damaged.

    Some conservators have faced harassment recently for repairing damaged installations, Holben Ellis told CNN.

    "We have received reports that conservators feel threatened -- or have been threatened -- when carrying out their professional duties to protect and preserve cultural heritage. We must keep our members, as well as the monuments, safe from harm and harassment. The professionalism required to make decisions also takes an emotional toll on conservators who must remain neutral as they perform their duties," Holben Ellis said. 

    Conservators operate under a code of ethics to preserve all cultural heritage, George Wheeler, an adjunct professor of historic preservation at the University of Pennsylvania, told CNN.

    Conservators and directors might consider holding off on repairing installations in public places as protests continue nightly, Wheeler suggests.

    "These things can be taken care of, but how and when do we deal with these issues."

    Wheeler cautions against the hasty removal of public installations and monuments as politicians have done in some cities.

    "The decision may affect the safety of the conservator, influence the perception by society and those certain sets of decision may not be easily reversed," Wheeler said.

    "The conscious destruction of a monument because of its symbolism is also an option. That is the extreme on the spectrum of conservation -- from keeping something exactly as it is forever to destroying it," Wheeler said.

    How we use our voices

    Both The Met and The Whitney declined to comment on their security protocols, but they and several other museums in New York have posted on their social media pages condemning the death of George Floyd in solidarity with protesters. 

    The Guggenheim Museum is promoting the work of African American artists who've addressed racial discrimination in their works.

    The city's public design commission has similarly posted on Twitter promoting Black artists.

    MoMa posted what they call an incomplete list of resources and organizations for fighting racism and supporting justice and equality.

      "I would think museums want to step up in this time and communicate," Lamonaca told CNN.

      The question for curators now, Lamonaca says, is "how do we use our voices, our position in the community to bring people together and have meaningful conversation to difficult subjects."

      See Original Post

    • June 09, 2020 4:11 PM | Anonymous

      Reposted from Security Management Magazine

      The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) gave employers the green light to take employees' temperatures to try and ward off the spread of the coronavirus in guidance updated 18 March. But will taking temperatures really work?

      "Generally, measuring an employee's body temperature is a medical examination," the EEOC stated. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits medical examinations unless they are job-related and consistent with business necessity.

      Because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local health authorities have acknowledged community spread of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, and have issued related precautions, "employers may measure employees' body temperature. However, employers should be aware that some people with COVID-19 do not have a fever," the agency stated. And some people with a fever do not have COVID-19.

      In a National Employment Law Institute (NELI) webcast on March 12, David Fram, NELI's director of ADA services in Golden, Colorado, noted that if influenza is widespread in a community, temperature taking might be job-related and consistent with business necessity and therefore allowed.

      But, he said, "be super careful about taking temperatures, in part because what does it really tell you? Plenty have contagion who do not have a [high] temperature."

      Jeff Nowak, an attorney with Littler in Chicago, added that if employers want to take workers' temperatures, they should pay employees sent home for high temperatures to limit any legal risk, if they can afford to do so.

      Employers also should consider what they'd do if employees refuse to have their temperatures taken. Would employers send these workers home without pay?

      The temperature reading should be kept confidential, Nowak said, and the person administering the temperature check should be trained on the procedure. He expressed skepticism that a lawsuit would result from taking workers' temperatures.

      "If it saves one life, it's worth it," he said.

      But ensure that there is social distancing and keep people at least six feet apart when they are standing in line to have their temperatures measured. Bear in mind that taking temperatures may not be nearly as effective at preventing the spread of the coronavirus as sheltering in place, where possible.

      Christine Walters, J.D., SHRM-SCP, an independent consultant with FiveL Co. in Westminster, Md., cautioned employers against using oral thermometers, which are more invasive than infrared digital thermometers.

      Jonathan Segal, an attorney with Duane Morris in Philadelphia and New York City, said there may be an obligation to pay employees for time spent waiting to have their temperatures checked.

      Who Should Take Temperatures?

      Ideally, employers would have a willing volunteer who takes others' temperatures, said Isaac Mamaysky, an attorney with Potomac Law Group in New York City. 

      With proper training, personal protective equipment, a no-touch thermometer, and an understanding of confidentiality considerations, a nonmedical professional can take temperatures and help keep the workplace safe, he said.

      "It's simply not practical or realistic to expect a medical professional to be available to every employer, especially in the midst of a pandemic in which professionals are in such high demand," Mamaysky said.

      "Of course, if a company has an onsite nurse or EMT who can take temperatures, that's ideal," he added. "However, if that's not possible, employers can provide personal protective equipment and training so a nonmedical professional can safely take temperatures. For many employers, that's the only realistic option."

      Ask the Right Questions

      While the EEOC's guidance is clear, Christine Berger, an attorney in New Orleans, noted that it was silent on an important issue: how to take an employee's temperature. "It is not as simple as ordering an infrared thermometer off Amazon," she said.

      "Before lining up your employees to scan their foreheads," she cautioned, "consider the safety, privacy, and employee relations concerns."

      Berger recommended considering the following questions:

      • How will an employer select an employee to administer the infrared scan?
      • How will that employee be protected from the virus?
      • How will the privacy of employees subjected to the infrared scan be protected?
      • How will this action affect employee morale?

      Protective Clothing

      Once an employer has identified who will administer the scan, the employer should provide the administrator with protective clothing, Berger said. Protective clothing may include gloves, masks, eyewear, and a gown, she noted.

      "These precautions are essential for both employer and employee protection and will appear less extreme in the event an employe's temperature reads in excess of 100 degrees," she said. 

      Employers should advise the administrator to read the thermometer's instructions and be available to answer any questions. Before beginning, the administrator should perform a test run on himself or herself to ensure he or she doesn't have a fever, Berger recommended.

      Privacy

      While logistics may dictate taking an employees' temperature upon arrival at work, Berger said, privacy concerns suggest otherwise. She explained: "Employers should avoid employees lining up and waiting for their temperature to be taken." Instead, the administrator should take an employee's temperature as privately as possible and keep the identity of any employees with fevers confidential, she said.

      But in 8 April guidance, the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) said, "Employers should measure the employee's temperature and assess symptoms prior to them starting work. Ideally, temperature checks should happen before the individual enters the facility."

      Are Temperature Checks a Good Idea?

      "Temperature checks are widely used as a public screen measure at international airports and in parts of Asia," said Joseph Deng, an attorney with Baker McKenzie in Los Angeles. "Temperature checks are an imperfect measure, however, and should be just one of a variety of tools that a company can use to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace."

      He noted that other measures include asking employees and visitors if they are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 (e.g., fever, coughing, shortness of breath) or if they have any other high-risk factors as described by the CDC. Such factors include spending time in close quarters with a person with COVID-19 or having traveled to a high-risk area, as defined by the CDC, in the past 14 days.

      Other employers may choose for employees to take their own temperatures before coming to work and require them not to come in if they have a fever.

      Is Asking About Symptoms Permitted?

      During a pandemic, ADA-covered employers may ask employees who call in sick if they are experiencing symptoms of the pandemic virus, the EEOC said in its guidance. For COVID-19, these include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, and sore throat. Employers must maintain all information about employee illness as a confidential medical record in compliance with the ADA.

      Fram asserted that the coronavirus arguably is not a disability covered by the ADA, but other respiratory conditions that last longer are. So while asking about coronavirus symptoms is permitted, don't ask about symptoms of other conditions, he cautioned.

      Options Other Than Doctor's Notes

      When an employee returns to work, under the ADA employers can require a doctor's note certifying his or her fitness for duty, the EEOC said.

      Such inquiries are permitted under the ADA either because they would not be disability-related or, in the case of a severe pandemic, because they would be justified under the ADA standards for disability-related inquiries of employees, the EEOC stated. As a practical matter, however, doctors and other health care professionals may be too busy during and immediately after a pandemic outbreak to provide fitness-for-duty documentation.

      So, new approaches may be necessary, such as reliance on local clinics to provide a form, a stamp or an e-mail certifying that an individual does not have the pandemic virus, the EEOC stated.

      "That's all well and good if someone can actually get tested," Fram said in an interview with SHRM Online. "Right now, that's a challenge." So, until more tests for coronavirus are available, if an employer can't get such alternative documentation, it will have to consider how much risk it's willing to take if the employee can't prove he or she is free of the virus, he said.

      Other Guidance

      The EEOC guidance also provided that:

      • An employer may take an applicant's temperature as part of a post-offer, pre-employment medical examination.
      • An employer may screen applicants for symptoms of COVID-19 after making a conditional job offer.
      • An employer may delay the start date of an applicant who has COVID-19 or symptoms associated with it.
      • An employer may withdraw a job offer when it needs the applicant to start immediately but the individual has COVID-19 or symptoms of it. Based on current CDC guidance, the individual cannot safely enter the workplace, and therefore the employer may withdraw the job offer, the EEOC explained.

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