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PARIS decided to close a number of tourist attractions, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, to the Moulin Rouge Cabaret starting Friday (13/3) after Prime Minister Edouard Philippe’s instructions banned meeting more than 100 people to prevent the spread of the corona virus (COVID-19).
Reported by Reuters, the Louvre Museum, home to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and the “Venus de Milo” statue, will close its doors immediately after the announcement.
The Eiffel Tower also does the same thing. Its management said the tower will be reopened as soon as health conditions allow.
Before the prime minister’s announcement, public meetings with a capacity of under 1,000 people were still permitted. However, France is increasing its efforts to prevent the virus, including closing schools and other public places.
The 130-year-old Moulin Rouge cabaret – which features dancers in dazzling costumes – stressed that the show will be closed to the public until further notice.
“We don’t want Moulin Rouge to lose all positivity and optimism, we want people to still be able to take photos,” a spokesman said.
Some of the 450 Moulin Rouge employees will continue to work, repairing costumes, to be ready to reopen, the spokesman continued. La Gaiete Lyrique, a rock concert venue with a capacity of 700 people, said it would be closed until April 6.
Furthermore, Odeon-Theater de L’Europe, who will be performing “The Glass Menagerie” from Tennessee Williams with performer Isabelle Huppert, also confirmed that the show was canceled. Meanwhile, France reported 2,876 cases of corona virus and 61 deaths on Thursday. [antaranews/photo special]
