The Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museums in the Dutch capital Amsterdam said Thursday they were closing until the end of March to help halt the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Several other major tourist draws in the Netherlands including the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, and major art museums in Rotterdam and The Hague, said they were also shutting their doors.
The announcements by the museums, which together attract millions of visitors a year, comes after Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced new rules including a ban on public gatherings of over 100 people.
"In line with national policy regarding the coronavirus, the Rijksmuseum will close its doors to the public until March 31, 2020," said the Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands, which is famed for paintings such as Rembrandt's "The Night Watch."
The Van Gogh Museum, home to a huge collection of paintings by the Dutch post-impressionist master Vincent Van Gogh, made a similar announcement, as did the Mauritshuis in The Hague where Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring hangs.
The Netherlands has so far recorded 614 cases and five deaths from the virus.
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