DORSET County Museum has announced that its ‘inflatable museum’ will no longer tour schools and community groups in light of the coronavirus situation.

The inflatable museum has been touring the county while Dorchester-based Dorset Museum has been undergoing a two-year renovation.

A spokesman said: “It is with great sadness that we have made the decision to postpone our tour of the Inflatable Dorset Museum in light of the coronavirus.

“As a responsible charity and to ensure the wellbeing of our visitors, staff and volunteers, the following events will sadly be postponed until further notice:

- Inflatable Museum at Corfe Castle on Saturday 21 March

- Dorset County Museum Music Society at Ugnius Pauliukonis on Wednesday 15 April

- Inflatable Museum at Cranborne Middle School on Saturday, 18 April

- Inflatable Museum at Child Okeford on Saturday 25 April

The spokesman said: “We are very appreciative of your patience as we continue to work towards the opening of the new museum.”

“The Inflatable Museum events involve a lot of participation and hands on activities so therefore we feel it is important to take this action and do our bit in preventing the spread of the virus- it is the Museum’s upmost priority to protect our community. We hope to be able to rearrange these events at a later date and will continue to monitor the situation closely. Please keep an eye on our website for further updates.

“We would like to thank all our visitors, members and volunteers for their understanding and support during this time. We are very appreciative of your patience as we continue to work towards the opening of the new museum. We hope to be back in action shortly.”