Some 20 million French people are preparing to spend their first evening under curfew on Saturday, a measure taken by the government after an alarming surge in new coronavirus cases. Some 12,000 police officers and gendarmes, in addition to municipal police teams, will be deployed to enforce the curfew. Restaurant owners, for whom the second part of the evening represents an important part of turnover, have complained about the measure. The curfew measure, which comes just ahead of a two-week school holiday, contains no travel restrictions, raising the prospect that huge numbers of families will flee cities for the country. Scheduled to last at least four weeks, the curfew could be extended if the epidemic does not show signs of abating.

Source: Mint October 17, 2020 14:26 UTC