Louvre museum in Paris to reopen on July 6
The historical Louvre museum in Paris, home to the Mona Lisa, is to reopen on July 6 after the government allowed French museums and historic sites to reopen their doors following the COVID-19 lockdown.
The announcement was made on Friday. The government of France will, step by step, ease restrictions imposed to tackle the highly contagious disease from Tuesday.
French Culture Minister, Franck Riester on Friday confirmed that wearing a mask would be mandatory for visiting a museum in France while some will have to impose prior reservation systems to avoid a heavy influx of visitors.
“The implementation of a reservation system as well as new signs will allow us to offer maximum safety to our visitors, in addition to wearing a mask and respecting social distancing,” the Louvre said in a statement.
The minister added that online reservations for visiting the Louvre museum would open on June 15. The Louvre has been shut since March 13.
“Even if we were able to discover the treasures of the Louvre in a virtual way during the lockdown, nothing can replace the emotion of meeting a work in a real way,” said the Louvre’s director Jean-Luc Martinez.
“This is the raison-d’etre of museums.”
“We all need a meeting with art that is sensitive and real. A meeting with art, with beauty, can heal our souls,” he added.
