NORMANDY – The Coronavirus. It is one of the most searched topics on Google in recent days. It has been talked about by millions across the world. Now, it is starting to affect the world around us.

The virus began in Wuhan, China, where it quickly spread internationally. Italy had a massive surge in the virus and has put the entire country in quarantine.

France is beginning to feel the effects as well, and not just the symptoms. The Eiffel Tower, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, which normally takes a couple of hours to enter took minutes to get to the top. France’s glass pyramid, the Louvre Museum, was shut down for a few days then reopened to only those who had prepaid tickets.

The Louvre on the inside was a ghost town. Only a few people roamed the halls of the popular museum. The Louvre is the home of the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa. Recently, she had no crowd looking at her. Normally, people are packed into the room where the coveted painting is displayed. All that was left was a quiet, empty room for Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece.

Mont Saint Michel is a popular tourist attraction in Northern France. Mont Saint Michel is

an Abbey based on an island less than a mile from the shores of Normandy. The island’s small and crammed streets are easy to walk through. The gift shops and restaurants on the island are void of any tourists. 

The shop owners and clerks of gift shops are so desperate for customers that they have begun saying: “Merci Beaucoup,” which translates to, “Thank you very much” for the few tourists that buy their wares.

Even with all of the Coronavirus anxiety amongst the world, the United States president, Donald Trump, gave a speech on live television declaring a travel ban to almost every European country beginning March 13.

Traveling Americans in France fled to Charles de Gaulle International Airport on March 12, a day after the speech was given. Flight prices went skyrocketing when people tried to leave France. It was reported that one passenger paid $20,000 for a coach ticket.

France is also taking measures into their own hands. At first, the country banned gatherings over 5,000 people. Then a few short days after that, they shortened the gathering membership to 100. The Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, Louvre, and the Versailles palace were shut down due to growing concerns. Restaurants, cafes, cinemas, discos, and non-essential businesses are being forced to shut down as well.

Although all of this is happening an ocean away, similar things are beginning to happen in the states as well. Many schools and workplaces are telling people to stay home and do work from there. Many people aren’t able to do daily business and the economy is starting to hurt from it. 

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Alexander Connors

Mont Saint Michel has only a few people walking up to it. No tourists were risking catching the virus.

PARIS – After traveling back from Normandy, the state of Arizona declared a statewide cancellation of school for one week. The current extension for CUSD is only the one week given by the Arizona government.

More and more growing concerns have had many people panicking as the virus gets closer to home. Ohio has closed all bars and restaurants to prevent the spread of the virus.

Everyday life gets more and more impacted as the virus spreads. Grocery store shelves are empty. People are isolating to keep the virus at bay.