Kew Gardens is the latest venue to announce its closure, in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus.
In a statement released on Sunday, March 22, Kew Gardens’ Director Richard Deverell has said: “We have made the difficult decision to close Kew Gardens and Wakehurst until further notice. We are doing this to support nationwide efforts to control the spread of coronavirus and encourage social distancing.”
He continues: “There is no salve quite like nature for an anxious mind.
“We wanted to keep our botanic gardens open for as long as possible, to offer our visitors a space of tranquillity and beauty at this stressful time.
“However, our absolute priority is the health of our visitors and staff.
“We are committed to caring for our world-class collections, with a core team of expert staff maintaining our plants and we thank the team who take on this task.
“We will ensure that when we re-open, you will be able to enjoy and explore our magnificent gardens.”
This sad news comes after an initial announcement that said they were planning to close Sunday 22 March, due to concerns that visitors would flock to the Gardens for Mother’s Day. They have urged all ticket holders to visit their website to discuss options.
This announcement follows the recent news that National Trust are closing all their parks and gardens.
Also published on Medium.