Coronavirus: Auckland Museum stops school trips and public programmes, but is still open

The Auckland War Memorial Museum has stopped all school and public programmes, but remains open. Photo / Dean Purcell

All school trips to the Auckland Museum have been stopped and public programmes suspended or cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus situation.

In a statement released early this morning, the Auckland War Memorial Museum announced it is suspending all public programmes, events and school visits from today until further notice.

"[It is] to ensure the safety of museum visitors, people and communities," a spokeswoman said.

"This is a temporary measure and the museum hopes to return to regular operations as soon as possible."

The Weekend Wonders - Dig for Dinos - show has been suspended and the following events, exhibitions or displays have all been cancelled: The Fazioli season, the Antarctica VR Experience, LIVE May Music Month, Cafe Scientifique, Ata Hira: Museum on the Move and the Wildlife Selfie Safari.

Auckland Museum's notice comes after SkyCity announced earlier this week that it would be turning off several gaming machines in its casino and putting a limit on the number of players on gaming tables.

The number of players at each gaming table would be reduced to five per table and no back-betting would be allowed in order to avoid crowding.

Gaming promotions due to be held there have also been sidelined and a large number of public events cancelled.

Despite the cancellations, the museum remains open to the public as normal - from 10am to 5pm - and people can still explore the galleries and the new exhibition: Wildlife Photographer of the Year from the Natural History Museum in London.

Spokeswoman Megan McSweeney said: "We will do all we can to safely offer this to the communities we serve."