The French government has announced it will strengthen its police patrols ahead of predicted warm weather this weekend in a bid to make sure the rise in temperatures isn’t matched by a surge in Covid-19 cases.
Officials in numerous parts of the country fear a combination of pleasant spring weather and the break-up of some schools for holidays could encourage people to gather in groups, thus risking the increased spread of the virus.
Police chiefs in the capital will launch a “large-scale” operation involving 4,000 officers from Saturday to enforce the country’s strict 6pm to 6am curfews, imposed to stem the spread of Covid-19.
Increased patrols in Paris’s wider Île-de-France region will be mobilized to ensure people are not traveling unnecessarily.
