Paris, Oct 5 Bars across Paris will be shut completely for two weeks from Tuesday onwards as part of the French government's new stricter measures in the wake of a spike in the number of fresh coronavirus cases.
The latest development comes after the government raised the capital city's Covid-19 alert to the maximum level, which is imposed when the infection rate in a locality exceeds 250 per 100,000 people and at least 30 per cent of intensive care beds are reserved for infected patients, the BBC reported.
A statement issued by Prime Minister Jean Castex's office said: "These measures, indispensable in the fight to curb the virus' spread, will apply to Paris and the three departments immediately surrounding it, for a duration of two weeks."
Further details will be revealed later Monday.
While bars will shut, restaurants and bistros that serve food and alcohol can stay open, as long as they register contact details from customers and close at 10 p.m.
Regarding the closure of bars, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the move would be difficult for Paris.
"We are French, we love to drink, to eat, to live, to smile and to kiss each other," the BBC quoted the Minister as saying to French TV channel LCI and Europe 1 on Sunday.
On September 26, Marseille, the third biggest French city, closed all bars, restaurants and gyms also for a period of two weeks.
France has witnessed a constant increase in the number of new Covid-19 cases since late August.
On Saturday, the country reported nearly 17,000 cases, the biggest single-day spike.
The following day, it reported 12,565 Covid-19 cases.
As of Monday, France accounted for an overall caseload of 629,509, while the death toll stood at 32,171.
( With inputs from IANS )
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