Three of York’s top visitor attractions have revealed their reopening plans as the government relaxes lockdown restrictions for museums and attractions.

Jorvik Viking Centre, Barley Hall and DIG: An Archaeological Adventure, will re-open for visitors on Saturday, July 11, with slightly different experiences on offer at each location to ensure a safer visit for everyone.

Sarah Maltby, director of attractions for York Archaeological Trust, said: “When people are visiting attractions, they want it to be a fun and pleasant experience, and the risks associated with the pandemic mean that people are now vigilant about so many things that we took for granted before, particularly how close people get and how clean everything is.

"These have been the first things that we’ve addressed across all three attractions, and once these are in place, making sure that the experience is as good or even better than before."

One change across all three attractions will be the abolition of long queues, bosses said, adding it was particularly relevant for Jorvik, which regularly has a queue around St Mary’s Square during holiday times.

Prebooking will be essential across all attractions, with timed tickets and extended opening hours to enable visitors to maintain social distancing.

Sarah added: “Even with the relaxation to ‘one metre plus’ social distancing, our attractions will initially stick to two metres – we want people to feel extra safe, and have a natural flow through each site, whilst still being able to talk to our Vikings and other specialist staff.

"This will mean that there are no crowds around display cases or galleries, so the whole experience should be pleasant and relaxed. In fact, for locals who might normally be put off by queuing and crowds, this is the perfect time to rediscover York’s Viking heritage.”

A spokesperson said cleaning and sanitation procedures will be stepped up, with visitors encouraged to use hand sanitiser at regular intervals during a visit as well as procedures to regularly disinfect the ride capsules.

Ventilation using the air conditioning system will ensure that fresh air is channelled into Jorvik at all times and all visitors will have their temperature remotely taken when entering the building.

Meanwhil, at DIG, where interactive activities are an integral part of the experience, techniques such as fogging will be used to regularly disinfect the artificial soil, with visitors given disposable gloves and face masks to wear as they unearth artefacts. Similarly, ventilation will be improved, temperature tests taken on arrival and a one-way system imposed.

At Barley Hall, visitors will be asked to follow a set route which enables them to see everything whilst maintaining social distancing. Visitors will use the normal entrance and follow a route through the medieval townhouse that finishes at an alternative exit to avoid visitors passing in close proximity.

Sarah said managers had been working on the re-opening plans for some weeks, and were pleased that restrictions are lifting before the key summer season.

She said: “Many of our visitor-facing staff have been on furlough, and we’ve been waiting for confirmation of the opening date and details of restrictions, but our plans were already advanced, and many of the infrastructure changes completed ahead of the announcement.

“We will bring back staff from July 1, and then we have time to train them and test our procedures fully before we welcome visitors back on Saturday, July 11. We may have to make a few tweaks along the way as we see how the public reacts, but we’re confident that we can once again deliver world-class experiences for everyone.”

For the time being, the Jorvik Group’s two attractions on the city walls will remain closed.

Prebooking from Saturday, July 11 is now open; visit jorvikvikingcentre.co.uk to reserve a timeslot.