France imposes widespread shut down to stop coronavirus spread

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France imposes widespread shut down to stop coronavirus spread

The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre museum and the Moulin Rouge cabaret have closed their doors — and the rest of France is expected to do the same starting Sunday.

France is imposing a shutdown of all restaurants, cafes, theaters and nonessential shops, and encouraging its citizens to stay home as much as possible, in an attempt to stop the rapid spread of the new coronavirus. It has banned all gatherings of more than 100 people, ordered all schools closed and asked companies to allow workers to stay home.

The nation is following similar moves as other countries, including its neighbors Italy and Spain, as Europe’s infection numbers continue to spike. France has reported nearly 4,500 infections and 91 deaths — half of whom were people under 50 — since the virus was detected in the country Feb. 28.

Nevertheless, nationwide municipal elections will be held on Sunday. Special measures to keep people at a safe distance and to sanitize surfaces were ordered, and voters were advised to bring their own pen to sign the voting register.