Louvre Reopens After Staff Concerns Over Coronavirus Outbreak

Louvre Coronavirus

Paris: The Louvre Museum shut its doors over the weekend, reopening only on Wednesday 4 March due to staff concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world. A union representative stated that staff voted not to open on Sunday 1 March. 

Management representatives were unable to convince workers to go to work – Union Official

The French government has banned all indoor gatherings of more than 5,000 people, in an effort to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus. France has reported 100 cases of the Covid-19. Two people have already died with many more infections to be revealed. Visitors gathered today outside the famous pyramid in orderly queues. It was a rainy Sunday, and many had advanced tickets, but the doors remained closed.

Louvre Coronavirus
Louvre Closed Because of Coronavirus fears Photos © Artlyst 2020

A statement on the museum’s website said The Louvre Museum cannot open today, Sunday, March 1st. We invite you to write to Assistance-billetterie@louvre.fr for a refund for any entrance tickets for today’s visit.

We apologize for any inconvenience and will keep you informed as the situation develops. A meeting was reviewing the “public health situation linked to Covid-19 prevention measures” announced by the government. The previous day, an emergency cabinet meeting banned large gatherings “in confined spaces”, as well as open-air events such as Sunday’s Paris half-marathon.

Union official Christian Galani told AFP news agency: “The meeting was arranged to discuss the concerns of staff”, adding management representatives were unable to convince workers to go to work. “The Louvre is a confined space that welcomes more than 5,000 people a day,” Mr. Galani said. “There is a real concern on the part of the staff.”

Recently, The Louvre’s Leonardo da Vinci exhibition brought in nearly 1.1 million visitors, shattering previous attendance records for the institution. The strong figures doubled the previous record of 540,000 visitors to an exhibition of works by Eugène Delacroix in 2018.

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