Louvre Closes to Public as Staff Meets to Discuss Spread of Coronavirus in France

As museums and art events around the world continue to close or cancel their programming in an attempt to keep the coronavirus from spreading, yet another major institution has temporarily shuttered to the public: the Louvre in Paris.

On Sunday, after 100 cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in France, the Louvre—which ranks among the world’s most well-attended institutions—closed to the public. On Twitter, the museum said it had closed while its staff met to discuss the coronavirus’ spread. Then, three hours later, the museum posted again to say that it would not open at all for the day. “We apologize for any inconvenience and will keep you informed of developments,” the museum’s tweet reads.

“The museum is currently implementing (or has implemented) all measures recommended by competent authorities to protect agents and visitors,” a Louvre spokesperson said in an email.

The closure came suddenly, after crowds of visitors had assembled outside the museum on Sunday morning under the expectation that they would still be able to enter as usual. It was not immediately clear when the museum expects to reopen.