French Louvre Museum Closure "Efforts to Prevent COVID-19 Spread"

On the 1st, tourists visiting the Louvre Museum in Paris are standing in a long line. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) rapidly spreads in Europe, the Louvre Museum in France has decided to close its doors.

On the 1st (local time), the Louvre Museum posted an announcement on its official website stating, "We have closed to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus."

The Louvre did not open its doors past the 9 a.m. opening time that day, citing a staff countermeasure meeting. It was only late in the afternoon that the museum announced its plan to close for the entire day and provided information on the refund process.

The Louvre has confirmed that no museum staff have been infected with COVID-19 so far. However, considering that the museum attracts more than 9.3 million tourists annually, it decided to close due to concerns about the potential for significant spread of COVID-19.

The French government also announced the previous day that it would temporarily ban events where more than 5,000 people gather in limited spaces.

Olivier V?ran, France’s Minister of Health and Solidarity, explained at a press conference, "Indoor events with more than 5,000 participants and large-scale outdoor events where many people gather from various places, such as marathons, will be prohibited for the time being," adding, "This is to prevent the spread of COVID-19."

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is rapidly increasing in Europe. As of the 1st, the number of confirmed cases in Italy rose sharply from 1,128 the previous day to 1,700, marking the largest increase in a single day. In Germany, the number of confirmed cases nearly doubled from 66 to 129 in one day.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom also increased by 13 from the previous day, reaching 36.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.