Eiffel Tower lights up with ‘Merci’ message in show of thanks to health workers battling coronavirus pandemic as French death toll nears 2,000
- Light display on the Paris landmark also spelled out ‘Stay at home’ in English
- People across France cheered and applauded from their homes at 8pm tonight
- Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the light show will take place every evening
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The Eiffel Tower was tonight lit up with a message of thanks to the thousands of health workers racing to save lives amid the coronavirus crisis.
Lights on the Paris landmark spelled out ‘Merci’ – French for ‘thank you’- and ‘Stay at home’ in English, along with the tower’s famous sparkling illuminations.
The display of solidarity that started at 8pm local time coincided with the moment when people in lockdown across France cheered and applauded from their windows and balconies in support of doctors and nurses – mirroring the gesture seen throughout the UK last night.
The word ‘Merci’, the French word for ‘Thank you’, was emblazoned on the Eiffel Tower in Paris tonight in a message to health workers fighting to save lives amid the coronavirus crisis
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the light show will take place every evening on the 324-metre-tall tower.
French hospitals recorded nearly 2,000 virus-related deaths as of Friday, a figure that doesn’t include Covid-19 cases elsewhere.
Health workers are straining to treat an ever-increasing number of patients, including nearly 3,800 in intensive care.
Lights on the Paris landmark also spelled out ‘Stay at Home’ in English in a message to those in lockdown across France
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
In neighboring Switzerland, authorities also are lighting up one of the nation´s landmarks, the Matterhorn.
Every night from sundown until 11pm, light artist Gerry Hofstetter is splashing the Alpine peak with words and images of encouragement and inspiration.
Images on the snow-capped summit have shown a heart, the Swiss flag, ‘Hope’ and ‘#stayhome.’