The Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors today after a three-month closure to help stop the spread of Covid-19.
Strict hygiene measures have been put in place and visitors can only climb the 1,062ft tower via staircases until early July when the lifts are expected to reopen. It is the longest period that Paris’ most famous landmark has been out of action since the Second World War.
Staff greeted about a dozen tourists with applause and a band serenaded them as they walked up the attraction this morning.
Visitors are not allowed to go any higher than the second floor of the tower and everyone over the age of 11 is required to wear a face covering.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands has announced non-essential services closed by coronavirus can start to reopen on July 1. The authorisation applies to “all work involving physical contact”, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced.
The new services allowed to reopen include the nation’s brothels, it is reported. Its hairdressers and masseurs have already been allowed to resume seeing clients.
The Dutch government also announced that football stadiums can once again open their doors to fans but only under conditions including a mandatory 1.5m social distancing measures between seats.
Donald Trump is set to travel to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, this weekend despite an order issued by three north-eastern states requiring visitors who have been in US coronavirus hotspots to quarantine for 14 days.
The White House said the orders by the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut would not apply to him.
