France announces curfews for Paris and other cities

French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the nation during a televised interview from the Elysee Palace on October 14 in Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the nation during a televised interview from the Elysee Palace on October 14 in Paris. Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images

Paris and other French cities will be subject to a nighttime curfew starting Saturday to try to slow the spread of coronavirus, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday. 

The 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew will also apply to Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Grenoble, Montpellier, Toulouse, Saint Etienne, Lille and Lyon, he said. 

It takes effect starting at midnight Friday night into Saturday.

“The aim is to reduce private contacts, which are the most dangerous contacts,” Macron said.

Violating the nighttime curfew will carry a fine of 135 euros (about $160) for a first offense, and 1,500 euros ($1,760) if the offense is repeated, he said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of two French cities that will be impacted by the curfew. The cities are Aix-en-Provence and Marseille.

source: cnn.com