Coronavirus in France: many museums and concert halls close their doors

Text by: Siegfried Forster | Isabelle Chenu Follow

As gatherings of more than 100 people are now banned throughout the national territory, more and more museums and performance halls are closing their doors one after the other, in Paris and throughout France.

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It will be very difficult to change your mind in the coming weeks. Museums and theaters close in cascade: the Institut du monde arabe in Paris, the MuCEM in Marseille, the Pompidou-Metz Center, the Quai Branly museum ... To overcome the coronavirus pandemic, groups must be limited to the maximum.

The Louvre museum, the most visited in the world with its 10 million annual visitors, will remain closed until further notice, as will the major Parisian museums and the emblematic Eiffel Tower. Same thing for the Palace of Versailles, but visitors will be able to console themselves by walking the park since walks in the open air are not yet prohibited.

All public theaters, such as the Comédie-Française, have applied the closure directive, initially until March 18, pending the ministerial decree which could set a deadline. No question either to go and read quietly at the National Library of France which will remain closed.

Several music festivals are also canceled including the Printemps de Bourges scheduled for late April. The Paris Opera provides seven million euros in ticketing losses, with the cancellation of at least 34 performances in Bastille and Garnier. No music will resonate at the Philharmonie de Paris either. Some private theaters hold performances until the end of the weekend, but in front of less than 100 spectators, but will not go beyond. On the cinema side, dozens of releases have been postponed, attendance at cinemas is in free fall. The National Cinema Center has announced measures to help the sector.

On the other hand, other cultural establishments have announced to remain open while respecting the restriction imposed by the French government. The Louvre Lens, for example, has declared that it is now limited to a gauge of 100 people per space. And in Paris, the Musée Marmottan-Monet also wishes to remain open to the public with its exhibition Cézanne and the masters. Dream of Italy . The museum invites its visitors " to respect a courtesy distance " and to " wash your hands regularly ".

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