Art Lovers, the Louvre is Reopening

After months of lockdown in France, the country’s most visited museum will open its doors again on July 6. The Louvre, which is home to Mona Lisa, will reopen alongside other monuments and tourist spots in the country.

“Even if it was possible to discover the Louvre’s treasures virtually during the lockdown, nothing can replace the emotion of standing in front of a work of art; that is the raison d’etre of museums,” Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez told Reuters. Of course, the virtual tours were exceedingly popular, too. The Louvre’s official website saw 10.5 million visitors from March 12 to May 22; when in 2019, the total number of visitors was 14.1 million. The museum was shut down on March 13 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

From now on, when visiting the tourist hubs and museums in the country, masks will be compulsory. The Louvre has introduced social distancing norms, new signage and a reservation system to keep visitors safe. Online reservations for the same will be open from June 15. 

 Here's the announcement from the museum's official Twitter feed:

[#PresseLouvre]

Le musée du #Louvre, le jardin des #Tuileries et le #MuséeDelacroix préparent leur réouverture et annoncent leur nouvelle programmation culturelle de l'été et de l'automne.

Retrouvez notre communiqué de presse 👇https://t.co/Y48c2qYBoR

— Musée du Louvre (@MuseeLouvre) May 29, 2020