France puts 18,000,000 under 9pm curfew as ‘state of emergency’ returns

Eighteen million people across France face a 9pm curfew after the country was plunged back into a ‘state of health emergency’.

Residents in Paris and eight other cities will not be allowed to go to bars and restaurants or visit friends between 9pm and 6am from Saturday in an effort to curb soaring case numbers.

President Emmanuel Macron said the new measure was set to last at least four weeks, with further details to be announced today.

There will be no restrictions on public transport or movement between areas but anyone caught breaking curfew rules will be fined €135 (£122).

It comes after France recorded 22,591 new cases on Wednesday – the third time in six days the daily total has surpassed 20,000.

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The number of coronavirus patients in hospitals has risen to more than 9,100 for the first time since the end of June.

The curfew will apply to Ile-de-France and eight metropolitan areas including Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Saint Etienne and Toulouse.

Police officers check a restaurant in Paris on October 6, 2020, during a patrol to inspect the implementation of new sanitary measures aimed at curbing the spread of the Covid-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak in the French capital. - Bars and cafes in Paris and its nearest suburbs, placed on maximum coronavirus alert from October 5, will be shuttered for two weeks from October 6 under new measures to slow the rapid spread of Covid-19 cases. Restaurants will remain open provided they respect new safety measures including providing sanitising hand gel, limiting patrons to six a table with at least a meter between seats, and allowing diners to remove their masks only for eating. (Photo by THOMAS COEX / AFP) (Photo by THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images) — Police officers check a restaurant in Paris on October 6, 2020 (Picture:: AFP via Getty Images)

PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 14: People enjoy a drink in a cafe terrace as French President Emmanuel Macron deploys curfew amid accelerating coronavirus epidemic on October 14, 2020 in Paris, France. French President Emmanuel Macron announced on television this evening a curfew for Ile-de-France and eight metropolises between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Saturday to tackle a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak across France. Bars and restaurants in Paris and the inner suburbs will close their doors at 9 p.m. from October 17, for a period of one month. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images) — People enjoy a drink in a cafe terrace as French President Emmanuel Macron instates a curfew (Picture: Getty Images Europe)

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Xinhua/REX (10954964m) A spectator watches a screen displaying French President Emmanuel Macron as he receives a televised interview concerning the coronavirus in Paris, France, on Oct. 14, 2020. In France, one of the European countries hardest hit by the coronavirus resurgence, a curfew will be introduced in big cities and private meetings should be restricted, President Emmanuel Macron ordered on Wednesday. Starting from Friday midnight, a four-week 9 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew will be imposed in great Paris region and eight major cities -- Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Rouen, Toulouse, Montpellier and Saint-Etienne. France Paris Covid 19 Curfew - 14 Oct 2020 — A spectator watches a screen displaying French President Emmanuel Macron as he delivers a televised interview regarding the pandemic in Paris (Picture: Xinhua/REX)

A public state of health emergency ended three months ago after the first Covid-19 wave was brought under control but will be reinstated from midnight at Friday.

President Macron has described the ‘second wave’ as ‘worrying’ but said the country had not ‘lost control’ yet.

He promised France would ‘get through this together’ and ultimately ‘come out stronger because we will be more united’.

Speaking on television, the politician said: ‘Our goal is to curb the virus. We must reduce the number of cases per day to 3,000 or 4,000.

‘Our goal is to reduce private contacts. What is called the curfew is a measure that is appropriate.’

‘We won’t go to restaurants after 9pm, we won’t see friends, we won’t party, because that’s how to pass on the virus.’

It comes as a second wave gathers steam in the UK, with London, Manchester and Lancashire potentially facing harsher restrictions by tomorrow.

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France puts 18,000,000 under 9pm curfew as ‘state of emergency’ returns

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