Coronavirus: Rebuilding of France’s Notre Dame restarts after six-week break

Construction workers will have to adhere to strict social distancing measures at Paris landmark

President Macron has vowed to re-open the cathedral within five years. EPA

Work to rebuild Paris’s partially destroyed Notre Dame cathedral has restarted after the coronavirus outbreak forced a six-week break at the historic French landmark.

Construction workers have been on site ensuring strict social distancing measures can be adhered to in the 850-year-old building, which was engulfed in flames last April in a fire that shocked the world. Chief architect Philippe Villeneuve and a dozen planners also examined hygiene measures during their meeting at temporary offices at the cathedral.

"We will do everything so that this timeline is respected," said Jean-Louis Georgelin, a French General who has led government efforts to restore Notre Dome.

But he warned: "This means returning the cathedral to worshippers. It does not mean everything will be finished."

France has announced plans to begin lifting strict lockdown measures early next month, which will include schools beginning to re-open although restaurants are expected to do so.

It has been among the countries worst affected by the pandemic with more than 23,000 deaths. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is expected to tell MPs on Tuesday afternoon how the government plans to ease quarantine measures.

The plan for a gradual easing of the current restrictions from May 11 is being adjusted right up to the last minute. It will focus on six areas, including public transportation and schools, according to officials.

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild Notre Dame within an ambitious five-year timeframe, although progress has been hampered by toxic lead released by the fire and the closure of the site in March amid the virus outbreak.

He wants it open in time for the Paris 2024 Olympics

Patrick Chauvet, the rector of the cathedral, insisted the project was on track to meet Mr Macron’s deadline. He said showers for workers would be modified and changing rooms adapted to reduce the risk of infection.

"It's true that we have lost a month and a half," Mr Chauvet told Reuters.

"That doesn't mean that all of the restoration will be completed, but it means we will be able to enter again into the cathedral."

He said the first task, once work gets fully underway, was to remove the tangle of metal scaffolding that melted in the fire and enmeshed itself in the structure of the cathedral.

"When that's removed, we can say that the phase of making safe will have been completed," Mr Chauvet added.

Earlier this month a sole commemoration was held to mark a year since the fire took hold of Notre Dame.

"If the restoration of Notre-Dame is important to us all, it is clearly also because it is a symbol of the resilience of our people, of their ability to overcome trials, and to recover,” Mr Macron said at the time.