The iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, has been closed from the public due to the COVID-19 outbreak, according to its management.
The tower is considered a universal symbol of Paris, and is a major attractor of millions of international tourists.
The closure of the tower comes hours after French President Emmanuel Macron ordered a closure of schools across the country and urged all persons over the age of 70 to remain indoors.
France has also suspended top soccer leagues in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.
Eiffel tower’s closure comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom said Europe is now the center of the COVID-19 outbreak, having recorded more cases and deaths that the rest of the world excluding China.
The COVID-19 outbreak was first reported in the city of Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, in December 2019. Experts have attributed the outbreak to a novel coronavirus that has since spread across China and abroad with confirmed cases exceeding 132,000 globally.
According to WHO, 123 countries and territories have confirmed cases, and at least 5,000 people have lost their lives.
(Additional information from Sky News)
