'We must react': France's Macron announces nightly curfews

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that nightly curfews will be imposed in Paris and other major cities to try to curb the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic.

The curfews will take effect from Saturday, and will run daily from 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) until 6:00 am the following morning, Macron said in an interview broadcast on national television.

The curfews will remain in force for four weeks, he said.

We have to react,” Macron said in an interview on national television. Macron said France had not lost control of the virus, but added: “We are in a worrying situation.”

France reported 22,591 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the third time in six days the daily tally has gone beyond the 20,000 threshold. The virus has claimed more than 32,000 lives in France.

The state of emergency hands officials greater powers to impose new restrictions.

The French government previously declared a public health state of emergency in March this year, when hospitalisations caused by the pandemic were near their peak.

At the time, the authorities used their extra powers to order people to stay at home except for essential work, buying food or taking one hour of daily exercise.