Eiffel Tower is set to reopen in mid-july

The iconic Eiffel Tower is getting ready to welcome visitors again starting in mid-July as restrictions linked to the coronavirus ease throughout France. The French capital’s iconic structure will reopen from July 16 to tourists eager to climb the 324-meter tower’s staircases or use its lifts, according to an announcement on Twitter.

The good news comes as the terraces of cafes, restaurants and bars in Paris and throughout France reopened this week. The country’s curfew was pushed back to 9 p.m. and French citizens can now shop for shoes and visit museums, albeit with restrictions on the number of people who can enter. The operator’s representatives told Agence France-Presse that about 10,000 tourists will be able to visit per day, as opposed to 25,000 in normal times. The attraction receives 7 million visitors each year, according to its website.

The iron structure, which has been closed since the start of France’s second lockdown at the end of October, has suffered heavy losses and will need to be recapitalized in the coming months, according to the site operator. Operating losses for 2020-2021 are expected to reach 120 million euros ($146 million) in total, a representative for the Societe d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel told AFP.