The museums reopening on Tuesday include some of Berlin’s msot important, such as the Altes Museum, the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Pergamon Panorama and the Gemaeldegalerie art gallery.

These initial openings are a test. “We are still going to be very careful – in the future, we would prefer to be more restrictive than too open about this,” said Hermann Parzinger, president of the SPK foundation, which runs some of the German capital’s most popular cultural institutions, including Museum Island.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site normally attracts over 3 million visitors a year.

Several restrictive measures are in place to reduce the danger of infection while allowing people to enjoy the exhibitions.

Arrows are to direct visitors through the museums in a one-way street, according to Ralph Gleis, head of Berlin’s  Nationalgalerie.

The museum plans to sell tickets online, stating when visitors can enter, Gleis said, to avoid queues forming. Only 300 people are to be allowed in at a time.

Staff are to be posted outside the museum, at the entrance and on each floor, and will explain the regulations to visitors.

The staff will ensure visitors maintain an appropriate distance not only from the art works but also from each other, Gleis said.

Information is also to be posted explaining to people how to maintain social distancing in the gallery. “We’ve learned a lot from how they do it at the supermarkets,” Gleis said.