Anti-covid squeeze on Paris and 15 other departments in France.
Faced with the new wave of the virus and the growing pressure on hospitals, the French Prime Minister, Jean Castex, addressed his compatriots to announce the third anti-coronavirus lockdown, 7 days a week, in 16 departments of France including those of Ile -de-France, the crucial region of Paris which concentrates 12% of the population and represents the economic locomotive of the country.
The provisions against the invisible enemy (the premier never used the term 'lockdown' this time) will come into effect on March 19 at midnight and will last for at least four weeks.
The schools, however, remain open.
As for the shops, only those considered essential will be able to continue to keep the shutters up.
In addition to Paris, the crackdown affects the other 7 departments of Ile-de-France, the 5 departments of the Hauts-de-France, in the north of the country, but also les Alpes-Maritimes, Seine-Maritime and the Eure.
The new philosophy of the current administration led by Emmanuel Macron is to "curb" the virus "without locking up".
In practice, this means that compared to the previous lockdowns there will still be the possibility for the population to leave the house for an unlimited duration of time within a radius of 10 kilometers.
The ban on inter-regional travel has also been decreed.
As for the other areas of France not subject to the measures, the curfew in force since January is passed from 18 to 19. The premier justified the new squeeze on the basis of new alarming data linked to the variants, starting with the British one. majority, which concern the 16 departments subject to the crackdown.