Paris prepares for a second lockdown in attempt to push down coronavirus cases
Lockdown part deux: Paris shuts bars at 10pm starting tonight, restricts gatherings to ten people and makes masks compulsory outside in attempt to push down coronavirus cases
- Emmanuel Macron’s government has taken strict new measures to slow spread
- Bars, gyms and public gatherings will all be impacted by the new regulations
- France yesterday recorded 14,412 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 39 deaths
Paris is set to enter a strict second lockdown in attempt to slow the spike in coronavirus cases.
Emmanuel Macron‘s government has ordered bars in Paris, along with Lyon and nine other cities on ‘heightened alert’, to close at 10pm from tonight.
There is also a 10 person restriction at public gatherings with attendees at weddings and parties limited to 30.
Gyms and other indoor sporting facilities will also remain closed and it remains mandatory for all pedestrians to wear face masks in public areas in the capital.
It comes as France yesterday recorded 14,412 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 39 deaths.
Paris is set to enter a strict second lockdown in attempt to slow the spike in coronavirus cases. Pictured: Parisians drink outside at a bar last night before the restrictions bare introduced
The new measures introduced in Paris comes as France is seeing a squeeze on hospital.
Medics in the capital, along with Marseille, have been forced to postpone scheduled surgeries to free up space.
Patients are still facing backlogs caused by the lockdown in March and April – and more than 6,000 coronavirus patients are now being treated in French hospitals.
Macron is hoping to avoid a full lockdown across the country with the French economy already set to shrink by 8.7 per cent this year.
The new regulations have striking resemblance to those introduced across the UK by Boris Johnson.
The Prime Minister’s ‘Rule of Six’ limit on the number of people socialising has now been in place for two weeks.
Face masks have also been mandatory on public areas including shops and public transport.
Tough new fines for failing to self-isolate for any one with symptoms for coronavirus also come into force across parts of the UK today.
People across England will be legally required to self-isolate from this week if they test positive for coronavirus or are contacted by the test and trace service.
If they do not they risk being hit with new fines starting at £1,000 and increasing up to £10,000 for repeat offenders or serious breaches.
The government has also introduced an identical 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants.
But it was recently claimed that the curfew did more harm than good.
The new measures have striking resemblance to those introduced across the UK by Boris Johnson. Pictured: Crowd of people spill out into the street in Bristol after the 10pm curfew early closing of pubs and bars
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has demanded an urgent review of the measure, saying it had merely resulted in people gathering in shops and homes.
‘I received reports that the supermarkets were absolutely packed out to the rafters with people gathering,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
‘I think there needs to be an urgent review of the emerging evidence from police forces across the country.
‘My gut feeling is that this curfew is doing more harm than good.
‘It creates an incentive for people to gather in the street or more probably to gather in the home.
‘That is the opposite of what local restrictions here are trying to do.’
The UK yesterday confirmed 6,041 new infections and 35 deaths in 24 hours.
