Paris's Pompidou Centre reopens under social distancing measures

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Online ticket sales, a one-way system and mandatory face masks: The Pompidou Centre in Paris, one of Europe's most iconic modern art venues, is open again, but with serious social distancing measures amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Home to Europe's largest modern art collection, the museum reopened on Wednesday with an exhibition dedicated to the late artist Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude after a three-and-a-half month closure due to COVID-19.

Online ticket sales have been used to avoid queues at the gate and museum-goers over 11 years old are required to wear face masks during their visit, according to the museum.

Currently, only the temporary exhibition halls on the sixth floor and permanent exhibition space on the fourth and fifth floors are open.

Safety measures are observed inside the Pompidou Centre on the day of its reopening in Paris, France, July 1, 2020. /Xinhua

A visitor wearing a mask walks past a work of art by Andy Warhol at the Pompidou Centre on the day of its reopening in Paris, France, July 1, 2020. /Xinhua

Social distancing markings are visible on the floor of an elevator at the Pompidou Centre on the day of its reopening in Paris, France, July 1, 2020. /Xinhua

A woman wearing a facial mask takes a selfie at the Pompidou Centre on the day of its reopening in Paris, France, July 1, 2020. /Xinhua

People wearing face masks look at works of art at the Pompidou Centre on the day of its reopening in Paris, France, July 1, 2020.

The center has also adopted a one-way flow around its cavernous interior demarcated by arrows, as well as guided tours of the permanent exhibitions for groups no larger than 10 people.

"We've got to make a visit as fluid as possible," said the Centre's director Serge Lasvignes.

In normal times, French visitors make up 60 percent of the 3.5 million people who marvel at the paintings and sculptures of Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky and others, according to Reuters.

That may help the Pompidou Centre recover faster than museums that draw a higher proportion of foreign visitors, like the Louvre.

Lasvignes, however, revealed that the rebound would likely take until 2022. "We're less exposed than a big museum like the Louvre, but we're exposed nonetheless," he said.

The Pompidou Centre, one of Europe's most iconic modern art venues, in Paris, France. /VCG

As France accelerates the unwinding of what was one of Europe's strictest lockdowns, many of the nation's most prestigious museums are announcing their own reopening plans this summer.

Another iconic landmark in Paris, the Louvre is set to reopen its doors to the public on July 6, with only 70 percent of its exhibition space open.

The world's largest art museum is also rolling out a slew of social distancing measures and implementing a one-way flow of traffic within some areas, such as the exhibition hall where the most celebrated "Mona Lisa" is displayed.

Additionally, visitors must book time slots in advance and wear a face mask while in the museum.