The improved health situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic means that a staggered return to normal can be envisaged. Within the framework of the measures determined by the federal authorities, the City of Geneva is organising a gradual reopening of its infrastructures – in the cultural and sporting spheres – to the public from 11 May 2020.
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The Department of Culture and Sport, together with all its services and institutions, has made every effort in recent weeks to ensure that its cultural sites and sporting facilities will reopen to the public in the best possible conditions. This staggered return to normal is very difficult to organise. It is implemented with the constant aim of ensuring that the population and the employees on site enjoy the best possible protection and apply the protection plans established for each field of activity to the letter. To date, and in accordance with the decisions of the Federal Council, only libraries, museums and certain sporting facilities are concerned by a gradual reopening to the public.
The dates, activities on offer and conditions for reopening are adapted to the circumstances. They take account of the particularities of each field of activity and of the capacity of each facility (see details below).
#BonRetourChezNous: Libraries
Municipal libraries - BM
From 11 May 2020: the two external terminals of the BM Cité and BM Minoteries network will once again be operational.
From 25 May 2020: reopening of the libraries to the public, with limited access to the areas devoted to the lending and return of documents – limited lending of preselected documents (3 to 5 documents)
- BM Cité: Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- District libraries: Tuesday to Friday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
From 8 June 2020: reopening of BM areas and free access to the collections with measures adapted to the circumstances (hygiene measures) and capacity of the buildings and teams to welcome the public (gauge, times, users will be asked to come on their own)
- Access to self-service collections, with the exception of press areas and work areas which are closed until further notice.
- Summer opening times
- Outdoor services with the “de Parcs en Parcs” cultural programme (1-26 July)
Geneva Library - BGE
From 11 May: centralised reopening of the document lending/return service at Bibliothèque de Genève - les Bastions based on orders placed via the platform of the Library Network of Western Switzerland - Rero.
- The public will be able to borrow all articles: stores and free access at les Bastions site; repositories of the BGE, documents of La Musicale).
- Lending between libraries will be operational.
- In order to stagger the arrivals and departures of the public throughout the day, the free access will serve as a reception counter welcoming the public every 15 minutes by means of a process of reservation.
- The reading rooms will remain closed.
- The other sites of the BGE (Iconography Centre, La Musicale, the Voltaire Institute and Museum) remain closed to the public.
#BonRetourChezNous: municipal sporting facilities managed by the Sports Service
From 11 May 2020: reopening of the Bois-des-Frères sports centre to the public
- Opening times: Monday to Sunday from midday to 8 p.m.
- Sports authorised: tennis and badminton (singles only)
- Réservations only by phone: 022 418 87 00
From 11 May 2020, other sporting facilities will reopen exclusively for certain sports associations for training purpose (all types of competitions are prohibited), with a protection plan in order to implement sanitary safety measures to protect both users and staff once the sporting facilities reopen.
The easing of restrictions on sporting activities is subject to clear directives from the Federal Office of Sport and the Federal Office of Public Health. Clubs and associations can resume training on condition that they comply with the following instructions: the activity can only be organised in small groups of no more than five people, with no physical contract and in accordance with the hygiene and social distancing rules. These easing measures are only permitted if the relevant sports federation has established detailed protective measures. In particular, these stipulate how the sport can be practised while keeping the risk of contamination to a low level. In order to resume activities in municipal sporting facilities, each sports association must notify the Sports Service of the protection plan drawn up, in French, by its umbrella federation (and approved by the Federal Office of Public Health and the Federal Office of Sport) relating to its particular discipline, together with its own club-specific protection plan.
In order to comply with these directives and constraints, activities will be resumed gradually in the specified facilities and the Sports Service will directly contact those clubs and associations authorised to resume their activity in the sporting facilities concerned. Details concerning the conditions for reopening other sporting facilities will be announced at a later date.
Team sports are not allowed until 8 June at the soonest.
#BonRetourChezNous: municipal museums
From 21 May 2020, visitors will once again be able to admire some of the collections in the municipal museums at first hand. This reopening is subject to the protection plans being adopted by the relevant authorities by this date. Practical information and the opening times of the institutions will be published in the near future.
- Musée Ariana
- Museum of Art and History - MAH
- Geneva Museum of Ethnography - MEG
- Natural History Museum - MHN
From 6 June 2020: reopening of the Botanical Conservatory and Gardens
Press contact
M. Philippe d'Espine
Information Officer of the Administrative Council
Tél. 079 372 84 59
Article modifié le 25.09.2020 à 17:05