Getting close to the animated T-Rex at London’s Natural History Museum normally requires long queues and sharp elbows.
But today, only a handful of children shriek in delight as it roars.
With tourists staying away and visitor numbers limited due to coronavirus, the popular exhibit is unrecognisably quiet – as are many of the British capital’s museums and galleries.
It is tough for the institutions’ finances, but the lack of crowds is a boon for the few foreign visitors and for locals, who are taking the opportunity to explore their own backyard.
Lynsey Wheeldon, 39, from Dunstable, north of London, headed straight to the dinosaurs when she visited the Natural History Museum with her children on a hot August day.
“We got in straight away and it was only us and maybe six or seven families,” she said. “We got to see things—it’s been great!”
Still worried about catching coronavirus, she was reassured by the decision to let in just 20 percent of normal visitors.
“We probably wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t this quiet,” she told AFP.
Foreign visitors usually make up 70 percent of entrants to the Natural History Museum but this has fallen to three percent since it reopened on August 5 – and 57 percent were Londoners.
For those tourists who do run the gauntlet of Britain’s rapidly-changing quarantine rules, the calm in the city is also refreshing.
“There isn’t the crush, there are no queues… for us tourists, it’s paradise,” said Frenchman Michel Besse, visiting with his family.
Britain has been badly hit by coronavirus, with more than 41,000 people dead, and despite the easing of lockdown many people are still nervous about venturing out.
As they slowly reopen, London’s tourist sites, museums and galleries have made great effort to show that they are safe.
Visitors must pre-book timed tickets, some galleries have introduced one-way systems, sanitizing gel is on hand and face masks are required by law.
Some exhibits considered too risky are shut, from video installations in small rooms to interactive displays.
But in return, a visitor can roam alone in the V&A’s Cast Court, or linger in front of a Rubens at the National Gallery without being jostled.
“It’s brilliant. You can see things without loads of people barging around,” said Londoner Jane Barnett, 62, during a visit to the Tate Modern gallery of contemporary art.
