Builders return to France’s famed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

French President Emmanuel Macron promised to rebuild within five years but work so far has been very slow. Delays were caused by toxic lead released by the fire, winter storms and then by the Covid-19 epidemic which closed the site in March.

Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, the rector of the cathedral, said the work getting underway today was to make the site compliant with social distancing rules so work proper could resume. He said showers for workers would be modified and changing rooms adapted to reduce the risk of infection.

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.