Paris tour guides demand more govt support as Louvre reopens to visitors for 1st time in 4 months

Several dozen Paris tour guides protested outside the Louvre Museum on Monday, demanding more support from the government to help them ride out the coronavirus crisis and a dearth of tourists. The protesters, who wore masks and held Mona Lisa portraits, gathered at the foot of the Louvre’s iconic glass pyramid.

The museum reopened to visitors for the first time in four months after going into lockdown. In May, France announced measures worth €18 billion ($19 billion) to support its tourism sector following the damage wrought upon it by the global pandemic.

However, protesters said these funds were not reaching many tour guides, most of whom were on short-term contracts, Reuters reported.

The Louvre said it was expecting 7,000 visitors on Monday, but after an initial flurry, managers anticipate that numbers will only be a fifth of pre-outbreak levels.