The most visited monument in Paris, the Eiffel Tower, plays a crucial role in both monitoring Paris’ air quality and the impact of anti-pollution policies in the capital.
(Photo captured from Reuters video)The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum and many other tourist sites and public places in Paris remained closed on Sunday as the city stepped up security following a series of deadly attacks.
French authorities closed the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum and other top tourist sites in Paris until further notice, following the terror attacks Friday night that killed at least 129 people and injured more than 350 others. The Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Disneyland Paris has also been shut since Saturday and many other public locations, such as schools, libraries, shops and restaurants, remained shuttered as a security precaution.
“We’ve been stuck in the hotel since Friday night. We haven’t come out of our hotel because it’s too dangerous to come out. I know everything’s closed. We were supposed to go to Disney today, but we can’t go to Disney now because it’s closed,” said Klark, a British tourist.
“We wanted to go inside, but it’s closed. All the museums are closed, but usually they would be open on a Sunday. So it’s a bit of a shame,” said Montana, an Australian tourist standing outside the Louvre.
In the wake of the attacks, French President Francois Hollande ordered tightened security at the country’s ports and borders, and mobilized some 1,500 soldiers to guard the capital’s parliament buildings, religious sites and tourist attractions. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Sunday that around 10,000 soldiers would be deployed across the country by Tuesday.
However, some tourists still expressed concern for their safety.
“We are traveling over Europe in the next three weeks, and it’s going to be a little bit scary going to iconic places knowing that there could another attack soon,” said Montana.
“There’s only about 10 police officers there. If someone comes here now, what they are going to do? I don’t feel safe anywhere here,” said Klark.
Some residents also said more police and soldiers are needed to secure the city.
“We think there should be more police and more soldiers. There are not as many as we expected. It’s not good for tourism. But it is difficult to do this in just a few days because of the lack of funding,” said Yoanna, a resident of Paris.
France has heightened its border controls and has been in state of emergency since Saturday morning. (Reuters)