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A state of emergency has been declared in France and President Emmanuel Macron has announced a curfew between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. for the areas most affected by the coronavirus.
Ile-de-France and eight metropolitan areas, including Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Saint Etienne and Toulouse, will face curfews for four weeks, starting Saturday.
During curfew hours, people will not be allowed to go to restaurants or visit friends, but there will be no restrictions on public transportation or people traveling within the regions.
A man wearing a face mask walks on a pier in the Vieux-Port of Marseille
Anyone out during the curfew must have a good reason, the president said.
More details will be released Thursday, including exemptions for those who work during curfew hours.
Speaking on French television, Macron said the situation was “worrying” but that the country had not yet “lost control” of the pandemic. However, he said the country was in a second wave.
Macron went on to say that anyone breaking the curfew rules would be fined 135 euros (£ 122).
He also said there should be no more than six people around the table for family gatherings, although exceptions could be made for those with more than six in their immediate family.
“The message I want to send tonight is that I need each of you, we need each other, to find solutions,” he said.
“We will come out of this stronger, because we will be more united. We will come out of this, together.”
The French government previously said that the state of public health emergency will begin at midnight on Friday.
In a statement, the government said that COVID-19 was a disaster that endangered the health of the population and justified the adoption of strict measures.
Areas below the maximum alert level have already had to close bars and restaurants are operating restricted hours.
The move comes as the number of people hospitalized with coronavirus in France has risen to more than 9,100 for the first time since the end of June.
The country reported 22,591 new daily cases on Wednesday, the third time in six days that the daily total has surpassed 20,000.
