Staff force Louvre closure over virus fears
The Louvre museum in Paris has remained shut amid concerns over France's coronavirus outbreak.
Staff at the Louvre - the most visited museum in world - voted "almost unanimously" never to open on Sunday, a union representative said.
On Saturday the French government banned all indoor gatherings greater than 5,000 people, in order to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
France has reported 100 cases of the Covid-19 disease. Two persons have died.
What happened at the Louvre on Sunday?
Queues formed beyond your museum's iconic pyramid in the rain, but the doors remained shut.
A statement on the museum's website said a meeting was reviewing the "public health situation linked to Covid-19 prevention measures" announced by the government.
The previous day, an emergency cabinet meeting banned large gatherings "in confined spaces", along with open-air events such as for example Sunday's Paris half-marathon.
Union official Christian Galani told AFP news agency: "The meeting was arranged to discuss the concerns of staff", adding management representatives were not able to convince workers to visit work.
"The Louvre is a confined space which welcomes a lot more than 5,000 persons a day," Mr Galani said. "There is real concern on the part of staff."
It is unclear when the museum could re-open.
