Pandemic fallout puts Chilean poet Pablo Neruda's museum houses at risk

La Sebastiana, the museum house of Chilean poet and Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda, is pictured in Chile. Photo: Reuters

Chile's Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda's museum houses are at risk of shutting down for good after forced closures and a sharp drop in tourism caused by the coronavirus pandemic dried up funds, the foundation in charge of managing them said.

"The pandemic devastated all visitors. We are in a critical situation," said Fernando Saez, executive director of the Neruda Foundation, in a meeting with foreign correspondents at the poet's house in Santiago.