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Residents of major French cities including the Paris region are to be confined to their homes between 9pm and 6am, Emmanuel Macron has said, as governments across Europe battle to contain record numbers of Covid-19 infections.
The French president used a prime-time TV interview on Wednesday to announce the curfew, which will be in place for four weeks from midnight on Saturday and will affect nine cities including Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse and Lille.
The situation is worrying but not out of control. We are in a second wave that is happening all across Europe.
We have to act. We need to put a brake on the spread of the virus. We have to reduce the number of social contacts … of festive contacts, that are taking place. It will demand a big effort from everyone – but it is necessary.
Related: European roundup: French cities given curfew; Italy breaks March record
Here is some more detail on the tougher restrictions being introduced in France from Saturday.
“You can still travel round France. You can still go to a holiday home, or meet with family members, but even within your family, you have to wear a mask if you haven’t been tested…this is not a disproporionate reaction”
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