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Men walk past empty restaurants at Place du Tertre in Paris on October 15. Chesnot/Getty Images

A night-time curfew will be imposed on Paris and nine other French cities starting at midnight local time on Friday.

The restrictions come as France reported a record 30,621 new daily Covid-19 cases on Thursday.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the state of emergency measure on Wednesday in a bid to slow the surge.

“The aim is to reduce private contacts, which are the most dangerous contacts,” Macron said.

The curfew will last until 6 a.m. Saturday, and will then resume from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night for four weeks.

It could possibly be extended to six weeks, pending parliamentary approval.

Here’s what you need to know about the restrictions:

Where will the curfew come into force?

The curfew will apply Paris, Aix-Marseille (which hosts the two cities of Aix-en-Provence and Marseille), Grenoble, Montpellier, Toulouse, Saint Etienne, Lille and Lyon.

How will it be enforced?

People who violate the night-time curfew will be fined 135 euros (about $160) for a first offense. That rises to 1,500 euros ($1,760) if the offense is repeated, Macron said.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin also said a 12,000-strong police force will enforce the curfew and people breaking the curfew will be fined up to 3,750 euros. A third violation could result in a three-month jail sentence.

Are there any exemptions?

People working, traveling for health reasons such as going to the hospital or pharmacy, catching a train or a plane after 9 p.m. or caring for loved ones will be allowed to travel during curfew — as long as they have proof of their reason.

People will need to fill out a certificate declaring their movement as they did during France’s spring lockdown.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said that people will be allowed to walk their pets after 9 p.m.

On Friday morning, Castex tweeted: “The number of confirmed cases had increased by 53% in just a week – this demanded a strong response from the state and local authorities.”


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