French close the Louvre, stop kissing

The Louvre was closed yesterday by staff fearing the spread of coronavirus in the world’s mostvisited museum after the government banned large indoor gatherings until further notice.

The authorities have also advised people to avoid shaking hands, a daily greeting ritual in the workplace. Kissing is also not recommended. Thousands of tourists queued outside the Louvre as staff unions refused management orders to open for the day, citing state employees’ right to stop work if they fear for their safety. ‘‘We are very worried because we have visitors from everywhere,’’ Andre Sacristin, a union official, said.

France has more than 100 cases of coronavirus and two people have died. After an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday the government raised the alert level to its maximum of three and ordered a halt to gatherings in enclosed spaces of more than 5,000 people.

None of the Louvre’s 2,300 staff has contracted the virus but Christian Galani, of the CGT union, said: ‘‘The Louvre is a confined space which welcomes more than 5,000 people a day. There is real concern on the part of staff.’’

The management said there was no reason to close the museum but that doors would remain shut this morning while staff were consulted.

The Paris half-marathon was also cancelled. All public gatherings have been prohibited in the Oise region north of the capital because of a cluster of cases there, and also in the Alpine town of La Balme-de-Sillingy.