UN agency warns pandemic could kill 1 in 8 museums worldwide

A boy walks by a model of a dinosaur wearing a face mask, during a partial lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, at the Museum of Natural History in Brussels. Photo: AP

Museums are starting to reopen in some countries as governments ease coronavirus restrictions, but experts warn one in eight worldwide could face permanent closure due to the pandemic.

Studies by Unesco and the International Council of Museums show 90% of the planet's museums, some 85,000 institutions, have had to shut at least temporarily.