We will regularly be updating this article to share local news about events or attractions in France affected by the Covid-19.
Over 100,000 people in France have contracted the novel coronavirus known as Covid-19.
What you’ll find in this article:
– The current state in France
– Affected events in France
– Affected attractions in France (Louvre, Orsay, Disneyland)
– Practical tips on traveling in France
And if you’re confused on whether you should push ahead with your travel plans to Paris, we’ve written an article that shares facts and some advice to help you make an objective decision.
The current situation in France
The entire country is under lockdown which means all travel and movement is limited to only shopping for essentials like food and medicine and for emergencies. President Emmanuel Macron announced on April 13 that the lockdown will be progressively lifted from May 11.
What the lifting of the lockdown means:
1. Schools will start re-opening. Universities, on the other hand, will be unlikely to resume until the summer.
2. Restaurants, cafés, hotels, cinemas, etc. do not have re-opening date yet.
3. Large gatherings such as festivals won’t be possible until mid-July.
Because of this situation, daily life in France has essentially been put to a halt. This has also greatly impacted commercial and cultural establishments that were supposed to launch this year like the Samaritaine luxury department store, the Pinault Collection at the Bourse du Commerce, and the Carnavalet museum‘s renovations. The Notre Dame‘s restoration has also been suspended.
What does Level 3 mean?
If the alert level in France will be raised to Level 3, it means that efforts will be focused on mitigation. Some concrete measures to be taken:
– Reinforcements from health professionals and law enforcement
– the full mobilization of the health system: this could mean only at-risk patients of the Covid-19 can be hospitalized
– imposed travel restrictions: For example, suspension of some train lines or train services
– The French government has said that Level 3 could mean differently for cities or regions in terms of closures of establishments
We will find out more about what Level 3 constitutes in the coming days.
Affected Events in France:
Canceled events:
One of these measures is by banning gatherings of over 1,000 people. Here are the past and upcoming events that are canceled:
– The last day of the Salon d’Agriculture – February 29, 2020
– Agnès b. Paris Fashion Week show – March 2, 2020
– Carnaval Vénitien in Annecy – March 6-8, 2020
– Paris Manga & Sci-Fi Show 2020 – March 7-8, 2020
– Paris Book Fair 2020 – March 20-23, 2020
– Avril Lavigne concert – March 26, 2020
– All concerts at Paris Philharmonie Grande salle Boulez in March. Click here for the full list.
Postponed events:
– Paris Half-Marathon – February 29, 2020 (postponed to September 6, 2020)
– Andrea Bocelli concert – March 19, 2020 (postponed to a later date)
– Art Shopping 2020 at Carrousel du Louvre – April 3 – 5, 2020 (postponed to a later date)
– Art Paris 2020 at Grand Palais – April 2 – 5, 2020 (postponed to May 28 – 31, 2020)
– Paris Full Marathon – April 5, 2020 (postponed to October 18, 2020)
– Queen + Adam Lambert concert – May 26, 2020 (postponed to a later date)
– All concerts at the AccorHotels Arena scheduled until the end of May have been postponed. Please check the official website for more info.
Sporting events:
As for sporting events, many games will be played behind closed doors. This means that the games will go on as scheduled but fans will not be allowed inside the stadium. The games will only be televised.
Paris Saint-Germain – Dortmund match – March 11, 2020
In addition, all public gatherings and events in Oise and Haute-Savoie have been banned. Oise is a small town about 100km away from Paris while Haute-Savoie is located in the French Alps and is about 5 hours away from Paris. These are 2 areas in France that are being closely monitored by the French public officials.
Affected Attractions in France:
As of today (March 16, 2020), all cultural establishments are closed indefinitely. If you’d like to be updated of the changes as quickly as possible, we highly recommend to check the official Twitter accounts of the attractions.
Louvre Museum
Twitter account: @MuseeLouvre
Orsay Museum
Twitter account: @MuseeOrsay
Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
Twitter account: @quaibranly
Disneyland Paris
Twitter account: @DisneyParis_EN
Chateau de Versailles
Twitter account: @CVersailles
Eiffel Tower
Twitter account: @LaTourEiffel
Practical advice on traveling to Paris:
1. Buying Travel Insurance
If you have already booked your flights and accommodation, we highly recommend buying travel insurance. There are plenty providers but make sure to check what the coverage is. This is important in case your home country suddenly imposes travel bans to certain cities or countries, at least you can get reimbursed for your bookings.
It would also be important to buy a Travel Health Insurance in case you fall sick during your trip.
2. Staying healthy during your trip
This advice is very obvious but we cannot stress enough the importance of hand-washing and wearing masks. According to public health experts, you must wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. It would also be smart to always carry a hand sanitizer with you. We recommend sanitizers with 70% Isopropyl alcohol content.
If you have the cough or cold, please wear a mask when you are out in public. Currently, masks in many pharmacies in Paris are hard to find so it would be best to buy masks at home before your trip.
3. Stay connected during your trip
Having data connection during this period would be extremely helpful. You can stay updated for any announcements that might affect transportation or opening of tourist attractions like the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre Museum. We recommend buying a local simcard. An affordable option is SFR’s 20€ Prepaid simcard which can be bought at local ‘tabac’ shops and Relay stores. This simcard includes 10GB of data and calls within Europe.