The most renowned museum in France, Louvre, was temporarily closed to avoid COVID-19. (Image via Selamat Pagi, Paris)

Fearing COVID-19 outbreak, France closes Louvre Museum

On Sunday, France announced the temporary closure of its renowned Louvre Museum, Paris, due to the rapid novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that has been detected in more than 60 countries, including Italy. The decision came after a government decision on Saturday to ban indoor public gatherings.

The Louvre received 9.6 million visitors in 2019, and almost three-quarters of the number came from overseas.

Known as the home of “Mona Lisa” painting by Leonardo da Vinci, the employees of the museum expressed their fear of being infected by the virus from people coming around the globe. Moreover, they also feared the Italian workers who pick up da Vinci’s works on loan for an exhibition.

In Italy, the number of the infected rose by 50 percent to 1,694 over a day, and five more had passed away totaling 34 deaths. France also reported 130 confirmed cases, a rapid increase from 30 the day before. Moreover, two deaths have been reported.

The U.S government advised all of its nationals against traveling to two Italian regions hit the hardest by COVID-19: Lombardy and Milan. Therefore, major American airlines also temporarily ban all flights to Milan, waiving all fees for changing all flights over the next two weeks.

As both France and Italy are known for their tourism sector, COVID-19 is hitting the countries the hardest at its strongest link. The upcoming Easter Day in Spring is a popular time for families to visit France and Italy.

COVID-19’s outbreak had shown its threat to Franch and Italian tourism industries. For Italy, known for its world-class museums, archeological sites, and architectural museums, tourism accounts for 13 percent of its economy. More than 5.6 million Americans visit Italy every year, representing 9 percent of the foreign tourists in the country.

Economically, the novel coronavirus sent the financial market plummeting. Moreover, the routines of all people around the world are rewritten due to the virus. The streets are emptied as 88,000 people all around the globe have been infected on every continent, leaving Antarctica alone.

Source: https://bit.ly/3cpdjUY