00:00A public gallery and some employees' offices at the Louvre in Paris are closed over safety concerns.
00:08Officials tell the Associated Press the precautionary closure is due to, quote,
00:12particular fragility of certain beams holding up floors.
00:16A museum spokesperson says the area impacted includes the second level of the southern wing,
00:21which is closed off due to recent and unforeseen developments, but did not offer further explanation.
00:26Officials cited a building assessment on November 14th.
00:30They say repairs will be done as soon as possible, but no timeline has been revealed.
00:3465 employees have been relocated, and the Campana Gallery, which is below the offices, is closed as damage is assessed.
00:41The repairs come after the museum announced a decade-long renovation project for the building that will cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
00:48That followed a leaked memo from the museum's director in which she describes disrepair throughout the building and issues related to overcrowding.
00:56Employees staged a walkout in June due to what they see as over-tourism causing damage to the historic structure.
01:03That protest caused the museum to temporarily close as many visitors waited to get inside.
01:08The latest troubles come on the heels of a heist that saw thieves make off with more than $100 million worth of jewels.
01:14Multiple people have been arrested in the heist, but the jewels have yet to be recovered.
01:18For more on this story, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit san.com.
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