The Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors on Friday after nine months of shutdown caused by the Covid pandemic, its longest closure since World War II, according to an AFP journalist at the Paris landmark.
Up to 13,000 people per day will be allowed to take the elevators to the top and take in the views over the French capital, down from 25,000 in the pre-Covid era.
And from Wednesday next week, visitors will need to show either proof of vaccination or a negative test, in line with recent government-imposed requirements.
“Obviously it’s an additional operational complication, but it’s manageable,” the head of the operating company, Jean-François Martins, told AFP.
After a final round of safety checks by staff, he announced that the “lady is ready”.
Early reservations for tickets during the summer holiday period underline how the tourism industry in Paris has changed due to travel restrictions.
Martins said there was an “almost total absence” of British ticket holders, while only 15 percent were Americans and very few are from Asia.
Half of visitors are expected to be French, while Italians and Spanish make up a higher proportion than usual.
(This story has not been edited by The Edge Media staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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