Two of Paris' most important museums, the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay, on Friday, announced the dates they would reopen as France gradually eases restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus.

The Louvre plans to welcome visitors again as of Monday, July 6, the museum's management said.

One of the most popular museums in the world, the Louvre hopes the French, then Europeans, then everyone else will find their way back, said director Jean-Luc Martinez, an art historian, and stressed the importance of aesthetic experiences and encounters.

The Musee d'Orsay, an art museum with many Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces, is set to reopen on June 23.

Its Orangerie, where Claude Monet's famous painting of water lilies is housed, will open a day earlier on June 22. Visitors are required to make online reservations starting June 8.

Visitors to both museums will be asked to wear protective face masks.

The museums set the dates after French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced the latest measures to be lifted on Thursday.