Vatican Museums to reopen on June 1

The Vatican Museums will open up again on June 1 with all visitors wearing face masks and having their temperature checked before entry.

The Vatican said Saturday that medical staff will be present and that, since reservations will now be required, advance ticketing fees of 4 euros (USD 4.50) are being waived.

On the Museums itinerary is the Sistine Chapel, with its ceiling frescoed by Michelangelo, while on Fridays and Saturdays, thirsty visitors can reserve an aperitif at sunset in a Vatican courtyard.

Ticket sales and souvenir revenues are a significant source of income for the Holy See. For now, the Museums are suspending the free-entry initiative on the last Sunday of each month.

Open bus tours of the manicured Vatican Gardens will be offered, and on weekends the public can tour the summer residence of popes in Castel Gandolfo, a hill town near Rome.

There have been 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in tiny Vatican City State or among its employees.