Marking another milestone in France’s recovery from coronavirus lockdown, the Eiffel Tower reopens to visitors after its longest-ever closure in peace time: 104 days.
Tourists trickling back to Paris are delighted to find the landmark open, though some other attractions in the French capital remain closed. The Louvre Museum isn’t reopening until July 6.
People queue up prior to visiting the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, June 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
“It’s very special, very special because it’s only the Paris people,” says Annelies Bouwhuis, a 43-year-old visitor from the Netherlands. “We’ve seen a lot Paris people enjoying their city, enjoying their parks without all the tourists.”
Lifts that usually whisk visitors up the 324-meter (1,063-feet) tall wrought-iron Eiffel Tower remain closed, so for now people have to take the stairs.
Of the tower’s three decks, only the first two have reopened.
The tower has lost 27 million euros ($30 million) from the lockdown that started in March, according to its director general, Patrick Branco Ruivo.
— AP
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
