COVID-19: France Imposes 4 Weeks Curfew In 9 Cities, Including Paris

The French government on Wednesday imposed curfew in Paris and eight other cities from Saturday amid rising coronavirus cases the country. “We have to act. We need to put a brake on the spread of the virus,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.

The shutdown in the country would be in force between 9:00 pm and 6:00 am and will remain in place for four weeks. The French President said the government would seek a two-week extension from Parliament to extend the curfew till December 1.

“It means that we won’t go to restaurants after 9 p.m., we won’t go round to a friend’s place, we won’t go out partying,” Macron said, adding, “we have to adopt stricter measures in order to completely restore control.”

Apart from Paris curfew will be imposed in Saint-Etienne, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Grenoble, Toulouse, Montpellier and Rouen. The tough measures come as the coutry continues to battle the virus with over 32,000 fatalities reported.

The French President added that the government’s goal was to reduce the current rate of 20,000 new COVID-19 cases per day to 3,000 in order to reduce the burden on intensive care units as the government sought to prolong the state of health emergency.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced strict measures on gatherings.

“I am convinced that what we do now will be decisive for how we come through this pandemic,” Merkel said.

(Source: WION)

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