Eiffel Tower opens to delighted crowd
Visitors climb up steps as elevators stay closed
PARIS — Marking another milestone in France’s recovery from coronavirus lockdown, the Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors Thursday after its longest-ever closure in peace time: 104 days.
Tourists who are trickling back to Paris were delighted to find the landmark open when some other attractions in the French capital remain closed. The Louvre Museum isn’t reopening until July 6.
“It’s very special, very special because it’s only the Paris people,” said 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 1,063-foot 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 reopened. Those who climbed the 674 steps Thursday were rewarded with far-away views and a light breeze in scorching summer weather. Masks are obligatory for all visitors ages 11 and up.
“I booked the first slot because afterward it will be very hot,” said Sabine
Peaufils, a 57-year-old Parisian. “This is a real pleasure.”
The tower lost $30 million from the lockdown that started in March, according to its director general, Patrick Branco Ruivo.
France and other European countries with big tourism sectors are starting to coax back visitors, with mixed results.
The Louvre is bracing for a precipitous drop in visitor numbers when it reopens.
Visitor numbers are down at the Versailles Palace since the former royal residence west of Paris reopened June 6.
The palace has capped visits at a maximum of 4,500 people per day, spread out through the day. That is way down from the 20,000 people per day the palace previously got in the busy summer season.
In other developments:
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Germany on Thursday announced that it is giving half a billion euros to support the World Health Organization amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but said reforms are necessary to make the agency more transparent and accountable. German Health Minister Jens Spahn said the country remains a “critical friend” of the World Health Organization.
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Governments around the world should “remove all obstacles” to swift and equitable distribution of any successful COVID-19 vaccine, including by making all intellectual property and technologies immediately available, African countries said Thursday. The call from the African Union was Africa’s most assertive one yet for a “people’s vaccine” made available to everyone, even as rich countries make deals with manufacturers for potential supplies.
The number of coronavirus cases in Indonesia surpassed 50,000 on Thursday. The surging cases in the world’s fourth-most populous country align with its increasing testing capacity, which has averaged close to the government’s daily target of 20,000 over the past week.