PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th March, 2020) The French Ministry of Culture has called upon museums and other cultural institutions to suspend operations in line with the government's guidance on how to contain the spread of coronavirus, according to a communique released on Friday.
Earlier in the day, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced a ban on public gatherings of more than 100 people.
"As announced by the president and prime minister, effective Friday, March 13, gatherings of more than 100 people are prohibited throughout the country. All structures of the ministry are recommended to reorient their activities toward performing their basic functions, up to closing the structures to the public," the ministry said in an internal communication.
The Louvre and Musee d'Orsay, two of France's most famous museums, closed earlier in the day until further notice.
France is one of the most affected European countries with 2,876 confirmed cases and 61 deaths as of Friday.
