MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th March, 2020) The Eiffel Tower in Paris will close indefinitely on Friday at 20:00 GMT in line with the French government's ban on public gatherings exceeding 100 people, which was imposed as a response measure against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a post on the landmark's official Twitter page.
"In the context of the #COVID19 outbreak and due to the government health measures announced today, the #EiffelTower closes today, from 9pm, for an indefinite period of time," the Tweet read.
Earlier in the day, other landmarks in the French capital such as the Louvre, Palace of Versailles and Orsay Museum similarly shut their doors to visitors after Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that all events that gathered more than 100 people were banned to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Friday that over 780 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the previous 24 hours, raising the overall number of reported cases in France to 3,661 since the start of the outbreak. The death toll has also risen from 61 to 79 in a day.
