France considers new curfew, Spain’s regions to call for tighter restrictions

France dramatically slowed the spread of the coronavirus in the spring with one of Europe’s most draconian lockdowns. But 10 months into the epidemic and with winter drawing in, many people are reluctant to endure another period of confinement.

“It’s unbearable for those who respect the rules to see other French people flouting them,” government spokesman Gabriel Attal told BFM TV. “There is an attitude of what will be will be. We need to take all the steps needed to fight the epidemic.”

Attal presented the new curfew as a fait accompli but the office of Prime Minister Jean Castex said a final decision had not been taken.

The matter will be discussed at a meeting between President Emmanuel Macron and senior cabinet ministers on Wednesday, a government source said.

A Wave of COVID-19 lockdowns and curbs has stirred resistance across Europe even as countries including France and Spain deal with a record number of daily infections and hospitals buckle under the strain of new admissions.

In Paris, one person was becoming infected with COVID-19 every 30 seconds, while a Parisian is admitted to hospital with the disease every 15 minutes, Health Minister Olivier Veran told RTL radio.

Health authorities reported 52,518 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. Four seriously ill COVID patients will be airlifted to Vannes, in western France, from Corsica to alleviate pressure on the Mediterranean island’s intensive care units.

France imposed a nightly curfew on two-thirds of its 67 million people in the second half of October but this was lifted when President Emmanuel Macron ordered a second lockdown, albeit less rigid than the first, which took effect on Oct. 30.

Castex’s office said a renewed curfew for Paris had been proposed by police after it became clear too many people were out late at night and breaching lockdown rules.

The lockdown forced the closure of all non-essential businesses like bars and restaurants, banned private gatherings and saw the return of sworn declarations needed to leave home. Schools remain open.

But some Paris residents have complained privately that neighbours are still hosting house-parties in defiance of the rules, while some parents say friends are still organising playdates for their children.

One Uber driver on the dawn shift in Paris said he was still picking up people who had clearly been at all-night parties.

“They’re obviously youngsters out partying,” he said.

The northern Spanish region of Castilla and Leon ordered a shutdown of bars and restaurants on Tuesday and demanded tougher measures from the national government to defeat one of Europe’s worst outbreaks of the coronavirus.

Announcing the restrictions, which come into force on Nov. 6, regional leader Alfonso Fernandez Manueci described the situation as one of “maximum risk,” adding that his administration favoured stricter measures but was stymied by Spain’s current legal framework.

Under a six-month state of emergency declared last week, regional authorities have powers to declare curfews and shut down businesses, but they cannot impose home confinement without central government authorization.

“We demand that the Spanish government assumes its responsibility and, under parliamentary control, decrees the measures required by the situation,” Fernandez said.

Unlike France, Germany and Britain, which have announced full nationwide lockdowns, Spain has adopted a regional response, leading to a patchwork of different regulations.

Castilla and Leon’s announcement came a day after the northwestern Asturias region shut down bars and requested authorization for a home confinement but was rebuffed by the health ministry.

Wealthy Catalonia, home to top tourist destination Barcelona, has taken a hard-line approach, closing down eateries more than two weeks ago and restricting travel across its borders.

Meanwhile, Madrid’s bars and restaurants, which are only obliged to keep to capacity limits and shut by 11 pm, were full of revellers over a long weekend marking All Saints Day.

Conservative regional leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso has opted for lighter regulations and said on Tuesday that home confinement was a “last resort.”

With 1.2 million cases, Spain has the second highest caseload in Western Europe after France. The death toll stands at 36,257.

COVID-19 cases are increasing fast in Sweden, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Tuesday as he announced stricter recommendations for another three regions.

“We have a very serious situation,” Lofven told a news conference. “More and more intensive care beds are now being used to treat COVID patients. The respite we got this summer is over.”

He also said parties at restaurants would be limited to eight people.

Sweden has seen a surge in new infections in recent weeks, surpassing peaks set in the spring, though levels are not as high as in countries like Belgium, Spain and France relative to the size of the population.

REUTERS