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HEALTH

Macron orders nighttime curfew for parts of France hardest hit by Covid-19

French president Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday a nighttime curfew would be imposed in the greater Paris region as well as in eight other cities around France hard-hit by the second wave of Covid-19 infections.

Published: 14 October 2020 20:57 CEST
Macron orders nighttime curfew for parts of France hardest hit by Covid-19
French President Emmanuel Macron making his live TV broadcast. Photo: AFP

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.

MAP Which parts of France are on the highest Covid-19 alert levels?

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.

“It's inevitable,” Hirsch said, and called for stricter measures to reverse the trend.

 
Macron said new daily coronavirus cases must be brought down to “3,000 or 5,000”, from current levels, which have reached up to almost 27,000. 
 
But he also ruled out several more strict measures, at least for the moment.
 
He said reintroducing a full lockdown would be “disproportionate” while insisting that France “has not lost control” of the situation.
 
He also ruled out introducing any kind of travel ban within France or restrictions on moving between regions. The French “Toussaint” (All Saints) autumn school holiday begins on Saturday, and Macron said that when it came to holidays or visiting family, people should use common sense and stick to health protocols.
 
He added that he did not want to “infantalise” the French people.
 
'No more than six at the table'
 
The president also once again urged the French public to reduce the number of people they have contact with and for the first time suggested that people should not exceed groups of six in private settings such as homes.
 
Macron called it a “rule of six”, echoing the law in place in the UK, but rather than being a law Macron's announcing was simply a firm recommendation to the public, all around France, not just in those areas on maximum alert.
 

 
 
He told interviewers: “When we invite friends to the house we shouldn't be more than six round the table” but stopped short of introducing laws on socialising or introducing “social bubbles”.
 
On the subject of working from home, he reiterated that it was recommended, but did not bring in rules forcing either businesses or employees to follow the guidelines, pointing out that for some people – those living in small homes with young children for example – working from home is very difficult.
 
“We are going to have to deal with this virus until at least the summer of 2021,” Macron said, saying “all scientists” were in agreement on that point.
 
 
 
 

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LIVING IN FRANCE

5 tips to have the best possible night at France’s Fête de la musique

It can be the most fun day of the year - when France goes music crazy and bands suddenly appear on every street corner - but there are some tips to make your Fête de la musique experience as good as it can possibly be.

Published: 24 June 2024 11:26 CEST
5 tips to have the best possible night at France's Fête de la musique

First, a caveat – this is an entirely personal manifesto based on the things that I have enjoyed over my Fête de la Musique outings over the years. It’s not intended as any kind of hard-and-fast rule and plenty of people will have different experiences.

Feel free to disagree and/or share your festival tips in the comments section below!

1 Ignore the big-name artists

There are always a few big-name artists or concerts in major venues on the Fête de la musique (which happens every year on June 21st).

Ignore them. Sure, stadiums gigs can be great and huge venues can have a wonderful atmosphere – but you can do that any night of the year. It’s not what Fête de la musique is about.

The true spirit of the Fête is the smaller acts who play on street corners, in bars and community venues. They’re free, you can wander between them and stay as long as you like – and there is always something else around the corner.

2 Ignore the big towns

You might think that the big cities have the best music, but if you have the choice, go for a small town or a suburb.

I’ve enjoyed some good Fêtes in Paris, but the best experiences had have been smaller towns or the Paris’ suburbs (Montreuil is good – a commune that carefully cultivates a small-town / village vibe, albeit a very diverse small town where everyone is a hippy, a leftist, or both).

It’s partly a practicality thing – in big cities the acts are spread out and you have to make plans to see something and meet up with friends. In small towns, you just wander along to the main square, then when you’ve seen the acts there, you can saunter up the side streets, each of which will have dozens of bands playing, pausing only to grab a beer and snacks.

But it’s also the vibe; in big cities you can hear good live music all the time and the population is consequently complacent – small towns truly appreciate the Fête de la musique and properly go wild.

Once, in Paris, I was watching a blues band play in the street when a woman tipped water on their heads from her apartment window because she was tired and wanted to go to sleep. Small towns appreciate it when bands play for them.

3 Experiment

There’s a lot of variety on the night, so take advantage – this is your opportunity to hear all kinds of live music from rock to swing, jazz to classical, choirs to DJs.

Didn’t think that a five-piece oud band is your thing? Fête de la musique may change your mind. It’s the night of the year when anything goes, musically, so it’s also the night to try something new.

If you hate it – well it’s free and there’s another band down the street that might be more your thing. But you might discover a lifetime passion for oud music – in fact, by this time next year you might be playing in the oud band. Thanks to the Fête de la musique.

4 Don’t insist on quality

You’ll hear some great bands, but you’ll also hear some that are more about enthusiasm – and that’s all part of the fun.

You’re going to be hearing everything from classic rock to reggae to blues to the above-mentioned five-piece oud band, and as well as the styles the quality may be variable to.

For me, the true spirit of Fête de la musique is the 50-year-old accountant rocking out on his guitar and enjoying the one night of the year when he can dream that if only he hadn’t given up on his high school band, he could now be rich, famous and selling out stadiums, as opposed to filing tax declarations in an office above the florist.

5 Dress comfortably

Some people like to dress up for the Fête and that’s great – it’s a party after all – but the key thing is to wear something that is comfortable and allows you to shake your stuff.

Yes, you will be dancing – you’ll be dancing on street corners, in parks, cafés and perhaps on street furniture if things really get going, and you’ll be dancing with kids, dapper 70-year-old gents and everyone in between.

You need comfortable shoes and clothes that you can really move in.

Dance like no-one is watching. They may be watching, but they won’t be judging. Much. It’s Fête de la musique.

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