The executive director of the Mennonite Heritage Village is disappointed in the province's second stage of reopening.

Gary Dyck notes last week all of their indoor facilities were closed, but the grounds and restaurant were open to everyone. He notes stage two has made things more complicated.

"It is a mixed bag because we are excited that we can open fully including our galleries now, we had our grounds open, but now to know that even our outdoor grounds are limited to fully vaccinated people, that was a bit of a disappointment for sure." He adds, "I know people will be disappointed that don't know museums were part of that system."

As of Saturday museums can operate under the fully vaccinated requirement when open to the public as a museum, both indoors and out. When being used as a wedding venue, wedding restrictions apply.

Dyck says museums, especially the Mennonite Heritage Village, are very safe spaces.

"Anecdotally, I think it is museums and galleries, we are the ones that invented social distancing. You got to a gallery and you are never close to people. If someone is looking at a painting, you give them their space. You let them look at the painting or the artifact and once they move on, you go and look at it. It is just a natural thing. We've always been socially distancing since we existed."

Dyck says he doesn’t feel it makes sense for museums to be lumped in with casinos and movie theatres.

"We don't have that tight indoor seating, fixed seating like stadiums do. People can easily distance themselves. I felt we should be in the same category like libraries or gyms, we are there for the community to benefit, I am not sure why we have to be in this second-tier system."

Despite this, Dyck says they are going to do their best to have a great summer with weekly Saturday demonstrations starting on July 24th.

"There will be different heritage events and interpreters doing their thing here on the ground so that will be nice, kind of an event feel."