Paris put on ‘maximum alert’ with more Covid-19 restrictions to come

By aya salah On Oct 5, 2020

People sit on the Champs de Mars at sunset in front of the Eiffel Tower, on May 17, 2020, in Paris, on the first weekend after France eased lockdown measures taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus. (Photo Credit: Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images)

Paris and its surrounding suburbs have been put on “maximum alert” Monday as coronavirus cases surge in the city.

France reported almost 17,000 new cases on Saturday and a further 12,565 confirmed infections on Sunday, according to official public health data, bringing the total number of cases to 629,509, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Bars in the French capital will close on Tuesday as part of a new package of restrictions designed to stop the spread of the virus but restaurants will be allowed to stay open, with “reinforced precautions,” according to France 24.

Specific measures are set to be outlined by Paris’ Mayor Anne Hidalgo at 11.30 a.m. local time Monday and will come into effect on Tuesday. The measures are expected to last for 15 days, the news agency reported. University halls must not be more than half full either.