Eiffel Tower reopening Thursday after longest closure since WWII

The Eiffel Tower reopened on Thursday after the coronavirus pandemic shut it down in mid-March, creating the longest closure of the iconic French landmark since World War II.

Only visits via the stairs will be available through the end of the month and the elevators will begin transporting a limited number of guests starting on July 1.

Visitors will only have access to the first and second floors upon reentry. The top tier — the smallest, most cramped area — is set to reopen later in the summer, depending how the pandemic evolves.

All visitors over the age of 11 will be required to wear face masks and ground markings will indicate mandated social distancing measures.

The public spaces will be cleaned and disinfected daily, according to the tower’s website.

Premiers visiteurs aux 1er et 2e étages 10 mn de montée par étage seulement !
Our first visitors arrive at the 1st and 2nd floors. 10 minutes only to climb each level #tourEiffel #EiffelTower pic.twitter.com/GBf26ElSAD

— La tour Eiffel (@LaTourEiffel) June 25, 2020

J-1 avant ma réouverture !!!
Billetterie, mesures sanitaires, conditions de visite… tout ce que vous devez savoir pour bien préparer votre visite durant cet été #tourEiffel

— La tour Eiffel (@LaTourEiffel) June 24, 2020

The Eiffel Tower first announced its closure on March 13. 

Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 197,885 confirmed coronavirus cases and 29,734 deaths in France, according to a database from Johns Hopkins University.