KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 -- An old Chinese proverb says: "The hardest steel comes from the hottest fire."

When the Covid-19 pandemic was at its height in 2020, the Malaysian government introduced various quarantine measures including the widely known movement control order (MCO) to contain the pandemic.For Bank Negara Malaysia's (BNM) Museum and Art Gallery which largely relies on visitor engagement as part of its core operations, imposed restrictions on public gatherings came as a rude shock as the museum was ordered to close for the first time since its establishment in 2011.

"I will always remember this during the Covid-19 era, when we had to close the museum.

"That was the first time and we never had to close it. At that point, the f...