As virus numbers continue to rise in France, the president announced that nine cities and surrounding areas will be subject for a curfew from 9pm to 6am for at least four weeks.

Macron said the government would try to extend the curfew until December 1st.

The curfew order begins at midnight on Friday night into Saturday morning and affects the greater Paris region of Île-de-France as well as the metropolitan areas of Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Rouen, Saint-Etienne, Montpellier and Toulouse.

All these cities as well as Paris and its surrounding suburbs have been on “maximum alert” due to the rising number of coronavirus cases and the subsequent pressure on hospitals and intensive care units.

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Macron called the curfew an “appropriate” measure, adding that the government did want to re-impose a second complete lockdown on the country, which he said was “disproportionate”.

'We won't be partying with friends'

“We have to act. We need to put a brake on the spread of the virus,” Macron said, adding the measure would stop people visiting restaurants and private homes late at night.

Anyone caught breaching the curfew in the nine areas risked a fine of €135, Macron said, and for repeat offenders this could rise to €1,500.

“We won't be leaving the restaurant after 9pm,” Macron said. “We won't be partying with friends because we know that that's where the infection risk is greatest.”

Within curfew areas public transport will continue to run as normal to allow people to go to and from work.

“We must break the spread of the virus to protect others, to protect the elderly and the most vulnerable and to protect the health service and health workers,” the president said. 

He accepted that restaurants would be forced to close but said the government would ensure they and the staff received financial aid to help them through the crisis.

Macron's appearance followed the announcement by the government that the “state of health emergency” would be reintroduced from Saturday.

The official designation allows the government to impose far-reaching restrictions without the need to go through parliament. The country was in a “state of health emergency” from March, but it was allowed to lapse in July because of the improving health situation.

READ ALSO What does a State of Health Emergency mean in France?

It was the first time the president had spoken at such length about the health situation in the county since July 14th, prompted by weeks of spiking Covid-19 rates that for the first time since March has threatened to overwhelm hospitals in hotspots such as Paris and Marseille.