France Closes the Louvre Museum Amid Coronavirus Outbreak: 'We Are Very Worried'

French officials have decided to close down the famed Louvre Museum as the rapidly spreading coronavirus continues to infect people across Europe and the world, according to several reports.

The Paris museum, home of the “Mona Lisa” and one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions, was closed on Sunday after staffers expressed fear of contamination from its many visitors, and remains closed on Monday per the museum’s Twitter. 

“We are very worried because we have visitors from everywhere,” Andre Sacristin, a Louvre employee and union representative, told The Associated Press. “The risk is very, very, very great.”

He said that staffers also expressed concern over Italian museum workers who were visiting to collect works by Leonardo da Vinci that were loaned to the Louvre for a special exhibition. Italy has been the hardest-hit country in Europe so far, reporting a 50 percent jump in cases in just 24 hours and a current death toll of at least 34.

The Louvre hasn’t currently reported any cases of the deadly disease among its 2,300 workers, but Sacristin said “it’s only a question of time.”

The museum is issuing refunds to everyone who purchased an entry ticket ahead of time.

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The decision to close down the Louvre came after the French government decided to ban indoor public gatherings of more than 5,000 people on Saturday in an attempt to contain the virus.

As of Monday, coronavirus has spread to over 60 countries with over 88,000 people infected. The global death toll has surpassed 3,000, the Washington Post reports.

Outside of the virus’s epicenter in Wuhan, China, South Korea has reported the second-highest national caseload of 4,335 infected and 22 deaths. It’s followed by Italy with over 1,600 confirmed cases, while Iran surpassed 1,500, with 66 deaths

Over the weekend, cases of the deadly disease climbed to at least 80 in the United States, which also saw its first two deaths from the disease. Both were reported in Washington State.

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Additionally, health officials in the United States are discovering more cases with unknown origins, meaning those infected did not have any recent history of travel. This is raising concerns that the disease is now spreading through community transmission.

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “preliminary information” about the rapidly spreading virus shows that “the potential public health threat posed by COVID-19 is very high” to the United States.

To prevent the spread of the virus, the agency urges the public to maintain basic forms of hygiene including careful hand washing, avoiding touching the face, moving away from people who are coughing or sneezing and staying home at signs of illness.