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Since 9 p.m. there has been a curfew in many of the major French cities, the toughest crown measure since the end of the national lockdown in May. The number of new infections increased to more than 32,000 cases.
France reports a new record for new infections: in 24 hours there were 32,427 new cases, the Health Ministry said. By Thursday, the figure had passed the 30,000 mark for the first time. In total, the country has had 867,197 infections since the start of the pandemic. The number of deaths increased by 90 to 33,392. There is a particular concern about the use of intensive care units in large cities like Paris. More and more Covid-19 patients occupy the beds there.
Since midnight on Saturday, there has been a night curfew in many French cities. It is now valid for several weeks every night from 9:00 p.m. In addition to the capital Paris, eight other places with particularly high crown numbers are affected: Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Rouen, Saint-Etienne, Grenoble, Toulouse and Montpellier. This means that almost a third of the population, around 20 million people, cannot leave their houses and apartments until six in the morning.
Good reasons: otherwise there is a risk of fines.
During this time, people can only be in front of the door for a valid reason. The Paris Interior Ministry published a form that everyone outside is supposed to carry with them. Among other things, the following exceptions may be indicated: commuting to work, medical emergencies, caring for relatives or childcare, or the way to the airport or train station for long distance travel. It is also allowed to walk the dog, but only one kilometer from the apartment. Anyone who does not adhere to the new restrictions must pay a fine of 135 euros; for repeat offenders, thousands of euros can be paid.
Now a health emergency is back in effect. With it, the government can enforce the restrictions by ordinance. The new curfew is the toughest measure in France since the end of the national lockdown on May 11. During the visit to the University Hospital of Lille, Prime Minister Jean Castex emphasized that the government wanted to help hospitals that were again under pressure in the second corona wave.