As hospitalisations rise, France's new 6 pm curfew comes into effect
France
France is intensifying curfews to battle the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Starting Saturday, a 6 PM (local time) curfew has been enforced in the country.
As a new variant of the virus, which is deemed more infectious continues to spread across the globe, countries are trying to control the spread.
In France, coronavirus has killed 70,000 people, making it the seventh highest toll in the world.
The government is now trying to limit the transmission of the new variant from Britain, which currently accounts for 1 per cent of new cases.
The curfew was brought forward by two hours to 6 PM, and remains in effect till 6 AM.
Also read:France tightens coronavirus border controls; UK bans South American arrivals
Starting Monday, anybody going to France from outside of the European Union will have to produce a negative COVID-19 test, and self-isolate for a week after arriving.
"These measures were necessary given the situation. While worsening, it remains relatively better than many countries around us, but I took them because the context, notably with the evolution of the virus, means we have to have utmost vigilance," Prime Minister Jean Castex said while making a speech.
In the country, the number of daily infections remain stable at around 20,000 but the number of people being hospitalised daily continue to rise everyday.
The government has faced criticism for its rollout of the vaccine, which many feel is slow.