UN agency warns pandemic could kill 1 in 8 museums worldwide

Museums are hesitantly starting to reopen as the coronavirus lockdown is relaxed in many nations across the world.

Yet experts say that one in eight could face permanent closure because of the pandemic.

Studies by UNESCO and the International Council of Museums show 90% of museums have had to close their doors for at least part of the time affecting some 85,000 institutions.

The crisis cuts across the board, affecting museums big and small, new and established, dedicated to art or science.