The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant impact on world heritage, with Unesco revealing that 23% of recognised sites remain closed to the public.
With government restrictions still in place in locations all over the world, Unesco has compiled a list of its 1,121 natural, cultural and mixed World Heritage sites, with 50% currently open, 28% partially open and the remaining 23% closed.
The data compiled by Unesco also reveals that 37 countries have closed all of their world heritage sites - such as the UK, the Netherlands and Germany - while a further 46 opted for a partial closure. 84 countries have kept their World Heritage sites open through the pandemic.
At its peak, more than 70% of World Heritage sites worldwide were shut, though that figure has trended downwards since May 2020 to its current levels, with more and more sites being given the green light to reopen every month as COVID levels decline.
A map which is based on the major trends observed at the national levels, will be further updated by Unesco on a weekly basis, as new data comes in.
“In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, many governments have taken measures to restrict movements of people and access to certain areas,” said Unesco. “This includes the closure of natural and cultural World Heritage sites in the 167 countries they are located in. We would like to thank all our partners in the field for their collaboration.”
The map created by Unesco shows the impact of COVID-19 on the world’s heritage sites CREDIT: UNESCO
