Paris is under strict curfew due to an aggressive second wave of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday that Paris and eight other major cities must shut down early to help contain the spread of the disease. This news comes as daily infection rates have peaked at record high levels.
Under the new guidelines, French citizens are instructed to stay inside and only leave the house for essentials between 9 PM and 6 AM, starting Saturday for at least four weeks. This, obviously, goes for businesses as well, including restaurants, venues and cinemas.
“We have to act. We need to put a brake on the spread of the virus,” Macron said. “We are going to have to deal with this virus until at least the summer of 2021.”
The curfew applies to Paris, Lille, Rouen, Saint-Etienne, Toulouse, Lyon, Grenoble, Aix-en-Provence and Montpellie.
Europe is experiencing an average of 100,000 new cases per day. More on the breakdown here.
Sources: France 24, NPR | Photo by Yann Caradec from Paris, France
