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What are the rules under France’s new nationwide curfew?

On December 15th, a nationwide nighttime curfew replaces the lockdown in France. These are the rules to look out for.

Published: 10 December 2020 18:47 CET
Updated: 15 December 2020 10:18 CET

What are the rules under France's new nationwide curfew?

Police will be strict when enforcing the coming night time curfew in France, the government said on Thursday. Photo: AFP

“We will put in place a curfew that will be stricter than planned,” said French Prime Minister Jean Castex.

Flanked by the health and interior ministers, the prime minister declared in a speech on December 10th that the government had decided to lift lockdown on the coming Tuesday, even though the goal of decreasing the number of Covid-19 cases below 5,000 per day “would not be met”.

“This is why we have decided to adapt the easing of lockdown,” Castex said.

Cinemas, theatres and other cultural establishments would have to stay shut for at least another three weeks, and instead of 9pm, the curfew would run from 8pm to 6am.

The curfew would remain in place on December 31st, New Year’s Eve, contrary to what was earlier announced, and would not affect France's overseas territories.

December 24th, Christmas Eve, will be a curfew-free night to allow for later celebrations.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the curfew will be strictly enforced and only the following reasons will be accepted for being out between 8pm and 6am:

Working or travelling to and from work
Essential family reasons (not including family visits)
Medical reasons
Helping a person in need
Answering an administrative or judicial summons or at the request of an administrative authority
Walking the dog within 1km of your home (although trips out for exercise are not allowed during curfew)
Travelling with train, plane or other transport means (in the event of a police check you will have to show a valid ticket)

€135 fine

An attestation will be needed for all trips out of the home during curfew hours and people found out at night without a form risk a €135 fine – a new version of the permission form will be available soon.

The curfew attestation (permission slip) is available on the government's website – HERE or on the TousAntiCovid app.

Photo: Screen dump France Info

Can I go to the shop after 8pm?

Those who go to shopping in the evening will not be able to stay until 8pm (except if they literally live in the shop).

“You will have to organise yourself to be home by 8pm,” the interior minister said.

Showing a receipt to the police in the event of a curfew check will not be a valid reason to avoid a fine, Darmanin said.

On the other hand, those who work in a shop or another business that closes at 8pm will be able to return home without risking a fine, as long as they tick the right box on the curfew attestation certificate to be presented to the police.

Can I travel after 8pm?

People arriving in France or travelling between regions whose transport arrives close to or after 8pm are permitted to travel onwards to their final destination.

“From 8pm, [people] must stop travelling with a few exceptions: a train or a plane connection, as was the case during the first lockdown,” Darmanin said, adding that a ticket would serve as travel proof alongside the regular curfew attestation.

Those with a plane, train or ferry to catch outside curfew hours should therefore both fill out a curfew attestation – ticking the déplacements liés à des transits ferroviaires ou aériens pour des déplacements de longues distances (trips linked to long-distance rail or air travel) and keep their ticket ready in the event of a police check.

The plan is to abolish the curfew on January 20th when restaurants, cafés and gyms will reopen – but all this will only happen if Covid-19 cases stay at a low enough level.

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Explained: How dangerous are French heatwaves?

A recent report highlighted the potential risks to athletes’ health if this summer’s Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games take place during a heatwave. The report, backed by climate scientists and athletes, warned of the potentially fatal risks of high temperatures at this year’s Games.

While most people are unlikely to be trying to break a 100m record during a heatwave – or any other time in fact – high temperatures bring with them serious risks to health.

Mercury rising

Any temperatures in France are getting higher, the country has endured a series of record heatwaves in recent years.

The all-time temperature record for Paris is 42.6C, set during a heatwave in 2019. It’s entirely possible this record won’t last long – 2022 was the hottest year on record in France, with a record 33 days meeting officially defined heatwave conditions: five in June and 14 in both July and August.

Vérargues, in the southern Hérault département, holds the highest recorded temperature in France – 46C set on June 28th, 2019.

The highest national average temperatures in France were recorded later in the year: August 5th, 2003, saw an average national temperature of 29.47C, followed by July 25th, 2019, when the average daily temperature was 29.4C.

And remember – air conditioning is not standard in French homes.

Health risks

There is no question that heatwaves can be fatal – some 400 people died in France in a two-week heatwave in August 2023 when new local temperature records were set around the country, according to public health data.

Over the whole of last summer, some 5,000 excess deaths were recorded between June 1st and September 15th, 2023, of which 1,500 were attributed to the heat.

Over the same period, nearly 20,000 heat-related emergency calls were recorded, according to a report by Santé Publique France published in February this year, and 10,600 additional hospitalisations followed a visit to the emergency department during periods of high temperature.

The risk is highest among the elderly or people with chronic health conditions, but also at risk are outdoor workers and people exercising – including hiking – during the hottest part of the day.

The government issues weather warnings – ranging from yellow (be aware) to red (potential risk to life) during heatwaves and we would strongly advise people to take notice and follow the advice, even if you come from a hot country.

Climate trends

And it seems that the situation is not going to get better soon, even if the response has improved.

“By the end of the century, heatwaves will be more frequent, more intense, and spread over a period from May to October,” warned France’s Haut Conseil pour le climat (High Council for the Climate) in a report in 2021.

Around 80 percent of the French population will experience 16 to 29 abnormally hot days each year over the three decades to come, as climate change takes hold according to a 2022 study by national statistics institute Insee – with Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Occitanie the most affected regions.

It estimates that more than 9 million people will have to endure more than 20 extremely hot days each year in the years to come. Nighttime temperatures will also rise, with some areas seeing up to 19 abnormally hot nights each year, compared to seven between 1976 and 2005.

The phenomenon of ‘tropical nights’ – where the temperature does not drop below 23C even at night – is linked to sleepless nights and heat stress, as the body does not get the chance to cool itself.

Meanwhile, Santé Publique France’s figures underline the impact of high temperatures during heatwaves, it said, and confirmed the need for measures throughout the country, and for a reinforced strategy of adaptation to climate change, to reduce the impact of heat on health.

The unusual Pentecôte public holiday in France, when many people work ‘for free’ by donating that day’s salary a government ‘solidarity fund’ for the elderly, was introduced in 2005 following the disastrous 2003 heatwave, when more than 15,000 French people, most of them elderly, died in the sweltering temperatures.

Heat islands

The particular problem with Paris – and other major conurbations – is that it is a noted ‘urban heat island’, where temperatures can be up to 10C warmer than in the surrounding countryside, due to a combination of human activities, concrete surfaces that reflect heat, and heat pollution such as air conditioning units and cars.

The phenomenon also leads to significantly warmer nighttime temperatures, as heat accumulates during the day but cannot escape in the same way it might in a less dense environment – making for sticky nights that make it hard to sleep and increase the effects of heat stress, especially among the elderly or ill.

Emergency plans

One thing that has improved in recent years is how France deals with its heatwaves.

After 2003’s fatal summer, the French government introduced new protocols to protect the public whenever the temperature rises above a certain threshold.

Today, when the temperature soars, the government issues health advice on staying safe, which includes: drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated, staying indoors during the hottest part of the day (afternoon and early evening), keeping in the shade, exercising only during the coolest parts of the day (early morning and late nights) and eating regular meals.

Most cities now have heatwave plans. Parks stay open at night and ‘cool rooms’ open up to give those in at-risk groups a chance to be taken somewhere they can cool down.

Fire risk

Extreme temperatures and long periods without rain also increase the risk of wildfires.

The year 2022 was the worst on record for wildfires in France. In total 72,000 hectares, or an area seven times the size of Paris, burned over the summer.

Overall, 90 percent of fires are caused by humans – either deliberately or accidentally. But while casually throwing away a cigarette is objectively dumb, heatwaves can – and do – increase the risk of fires.

Where weather conditions do have a major effect is in turning what would perhaps have been a containable fire into a wildfire that devours thousands of hectares of ground and prompt evacuations.

High temperatures make it more likely that fires will start, but drought conditions cause these fires to spread – parched vegetation with no moisture catches extremely easily. In the height of summer, large parts of the south of France are particularly at risk of wildfires.

This is far from a new phenomenon. It’s why there has always been a wildfire ‘season’ in the hottest months of the year and why wildfires are much less common – though not unheard of – in winter.

In October 1970, 11 people died in a wildfire near France’s far southeastern border with Italy and in 1985 an inferno in the same area killed five volunteer firefighters.

Deaths are more unusual today, thanks to improved techniques and technology, but the fires themselves are getting more common, bigger and occur over a wider geographical area.

Poor air quality resulting from wildfire smoke can be a serious health risk to those with respiratory conditions.

If you live in an area where wildfires are common, make sure you sign up to the government emergency text alert system so you get the latest advice on whether you need to evacuate. You can also keep track of the risk of wildfire in your area by checking the government’s forest fire map, which is updated daily.

And you have legal obligations, too, relating to keeping your property as clear as possible of fire hazards during key wildfire periods.

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