Smithsonian: How the Pandemic Is Giving the Louvre Back to Parisians

July 7, 2020

At precisely 9 a.m. on Monday morning, as the doors to the Louvre reopened to the public for the first time since the pandemic forced its closure four months ago, a chorus of cheers and applause rang through the outdoor courtyard.

Moments before, the museum’s president-director Jean-Luc Martinez had made his way to the front of the line to welcome the Louvre’s first post-lockdown visitors Bertrand Arzel, 51, and his young daughter Pauline, who had been waiting patiently under the shadow of the iconic glass pyramid since 8 a.m.

“We wanted to see if we could be the first to enter the Louvre and see the Mona Lisa by ourselves,” Arzel said. “But to be honest I didn’t think we would really be the first in line.”

The elementary school teacher set his alarm for 6:15 a.m. yesterday morning to be able to get to the city from the Paris suburbs early, even though he had a confirmed 9 a.m. time slot. Arzel had booked the ticket online two weeks ago in anticipation of their visit—and in accordance with the new COVID-19 safety rules for visitors.

The global health pandemic has challenged the most visited museum in the world to draft new visitor guidelines that meet health and safety requirements like physical distancing and hygiene, without overly disrupting and dampening the visitor experience.

The result? While spontaneous visits may be out, so too are excess crowds, mile-long queues and hour-long waits.

More at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-pandemic-giving-louvre-back-parisians-180975261/