The Paris region has been put on top coronavirus alert amid a spike in the daily number of infections, the prime minister's office said on Sunday.
The new restrictive measures will be announced at a press briefing by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and will come into force on Tuesday, the office said. The new measures would probably mean closing restaurants and bars.
Health Minister Olivier Veran warned earlier that Paris could be placed on maximum alert if the epidemiological situation doesn't change for the better. The restrictions would mean "no more family gatherings, no more evenings out, and total closure of bars", he said.
"This [negative] trend was confirmed during the weekend", Matignon said, according to Le Figaro.
The number of coronavirus infections has been rising steadily over the course of several weeks. Commenting on the COVID-19 situation in Paris, ARS Director Aurelien Rousseau tweeted that the number of new infections is "weighing heavily".
Cette si longue épidémie peur créer de l’épuisement ou de la colère. Mais je ne vois aucune raison au déni. Les chiffres sont là, ils pèsent lourds. Les dire, dire par ex la pression sur l’hôpital, ce n’est pas chercher à culpabiliser qui que ce soit. C’est responsabiliser chacun
— Aurélien Rousseau (@aur_rousseau) October 4, 2020
In total, France has registered 610,190 cases of coronavirus, including at least 32,230 fatalities, according to the national health agency Santé Publique.
