A curfew will start tonight in nine major French cities; the measure will remain in force for at least four weeks. From 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM, residents of the Paris, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Rouen, Saint-Etienne and Toulouse region are not allowed to take to the streets. If you do, you risk a fine of 135 euros.
This measure affects more than 19 million inhabitants, more than a third of the total French population. President Macron is making this decision because the number of infections and hospital admissions is rapidly increasing, says correspondent Frank Renout. “The curfew should lead to fewer social contacts and thus less infections, is the reasoning of the president.”
There is a public health emergency throughout France. It is expected to last until next summer. The French authorities can take strict measures during the state of emergency, such as the curfew now. A state of emergency also applied in March, which was lifted in July.
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