Four French cities to shut bars as COVID-19 spreads

(FASTNEWS | COLOMBO) –  The French government has imposed tighter coronavirus restrictions in four more cities with high infection rates, as a number of European countries see a surge in cases.

The cities of Lyon, Lille, Grenoble and Saint-Etienne will become zones of maximum alert from Saturday.

Bars and restaurants will have to close, as they did in Paris earlier this week and Marseille last month.

The measures were announced as France saw a near-record 18,129 new cases.

“The situation has deteriorated in several metropolises in recent days,” French Health Minister Olivier Veran said at a news conference on Thursday. “Every day, more and more people are infected.”

France’s maximum-alert level comes into force when the infection rate in a locality exceeds 250 infections per 100,000 people and at least 30% of intensive care beds are reserved for Covid-19 patients.