As a record heatwave continues across Europe, entry to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, a must-visit destination in France, has been restricted.
According to CNN, the Guardian, and AFP, on July 1 (local time), French authorities announced that a heat advisory was issued nationwide, and that access to the top of the Eiffel Tower would be blocked for two days, until July 2.
The Eiffel Tower's website posted a notice stating, "We apologize for the inconvenience. During this period of high temperatures, please protect yourself from the sun and stay hydrated regularly."
On the same day, France decided to close 1,350 public schools nationwide entirely or partially.
Not only in France but across Europe, entry to various tourist attractions is being restricted.
In Brussels, Belgium, entry to the Atomium has also been restricted for two days starting today. A related official noted, "Due to the heatwave, the internal temperature of the Atomium is expected to rise significantly over the next few days."
In Italy, outdoor work has been banned from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the major industrial regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. As a result, the total number of places in Italy where outdoor work is prohibited has increased to 13.
Currently, Europe is experiencing rising fatalities due to the heatwave. A 47-year-old man collapsed and died at a construction site in Emilia-Romagna the previous day. On July 1, two construction workers collapsed at another site, one of whom fell unconscious.
On the afternoon of the same day, a child was reported dead after being left inside a car in the heat in the Catalonia region.
Italian authorities reported a 15% to 20% increase in emergency room patients over the past few days, most of whom are elderly patients who collapsed due to dehydration.
Amid unusual weather that has brought the heatwave, wildfires and flood damage have also been reported in various places. In Turkey, thousands of people have been evacuated due to spreading wildfires, while in France, tourist trains between Italy and France have been suspended for at least a few days due to heavy rain.
Earlier, in Portugal, on June 29, temperatures in the Mora region soared to 46.6 degrees Celsius, with record heatwaves occurring throughout Europe.