At the V&A, we’ve done some Marie Kondo-style reordering

‘We humour them when they suggest absurd reforms, we placate them with small material comforts, but we heave sighs of relief when they go away and leave us to our jobs.’ I am glad to say that the approach adopted by one of my predecessors, Eric Maclagan, to the visiting public is no longer preferred policy at the V&A. Instead, this week we are desperate to welcome the British people back to their collections. For the past five months, South Kensington has felt too much like Miss Havisham’s mansion, with lots of dust sheets, unexplained noises and an overpowering sense of loss. To ensure we reopen properly, my favoured reading of recent weeks has been the British Medical Journal editorial explaining that surface transmission of Covid-19 is ‘relatively minimal’. So sanitation stations and free online booking are back, but so too are our touch-screens, seating areas and relaxed cultured ambience.