A day after French President Emmanuel Macron announced a nighttime curfew in Paris and eight other cities, the government on Thursday detailed tough new measures to stem a Covid-19 surge, including a nationwide ban on private festivities such as weddings, reports FRANCE 24.
Shops and public places will be shut in nine Covid-19 hotspots after 9pm local time starting this weekend, said French prime minister Jean Castex, adding that there were exemptions for establishments providing emergency services such as healthcare or restaurants doing deliveries.
Residents in the Paris region, Lille, Grenoble, Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Montpellier, Rouen, Toulouse and Saint-Etienne will be able to go outdoors after curfew for work or pre-booked journeys if they have relevant authorisation documents, Castex added.
Authorisation forms will be available online or can be downloaded on mobile apps.
In addition to curfews in the nine Covid-19 hotspots, nighttime festivities have been banned across France.