Lonely Mona: Once again, virus fears close the Louvre

PARIS (AP) - Once again, the 'œMona Lisa'ť is all alone.

The Louvre, the world's most visited museum and home to Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, did not open as scheduled Wednesday morning as its workers fret about catching the coronavirus.

The Paris museum's staffers have stayed off the job since Sunday for fear of infection. Several hundred people who lined up outside the Louvre were greeted by a sign announcing: 'œDue to exceptional circumstances, the museum will open later.'ť

Management presented a raft of new anti-virus measures to try to coax employees back to work. Among the proposals are wider distributions of disinfectant gels and more frequent staff rotations so employees can wash their hands.

Most of the museum's 9.6 million visitors last year came from abroad.