4,000 extra Paris police to enforce Covid rules on mild winter weekend

Issued on: 20/02/2021 - 07:00Modified: 20/02/2021 - 09:52

France remains under an overnight curfew. Will the forecast fine weather defeat the health regulations? © ALAIN JOCARD AFP

Text by: Michael Fitzpatrick

3 min

As forecasters promise a weekend of spring-like temperatures for most of France, thousands of extra police officers are to be deployed in and around Paris to ensure that people don't forget the rules for limiting the spread of Covid-19.

Advertising

"Don't drop your guard just because the weather's fine," is the message from Paris police headquarters.

To enforce that warning, 4,000 extra officers will be on the streets of towns and cities around the capital this weekend, 700 of them in central Paris alone.

The coronavirus situation "is still very fragile" the police authorities have warned.

#COVID19 | Pas de relâchement malgré le beau temps : la préfecture de Police reste pleinement mobilisée ce week-end pour contrôler le respect des mesures sanitaires en vigueur dont la stricte application par tous permet de garder le contrôle de l’épidémie.

Plus d'informations👇 pic.twitter.com/DfYHL8OIFp
— Préfecture de Police (@prefpolice) February 19, 2021

From 6pm Friday – curfew time – 700 additional police officers will be on duty in Paris to ensure that the stay-at-home order is respected.

They will take up strategic positions on main roads, at train and bus stations, and in shopping areas. They have been ordered to intensify the effort to check that those on the streets during curfew have the right to do so.

On Saturday and Sunday, 4,000 additional officers will be on duty to ensure that those who live in the densely populated area around Paris continue to wear their masks while in public places, and that the rules on social distancing are not forgotten.

How effective is France’s 6pm curfew? Very, early indicators suggest

They will be particularly vigilant in public parks and gardens, where a regulation limiting to six the number of people who can share a picnic will be strictly enforced. Football matches and other group sports will also remain forbidden.

Government spokesman Gabriel Attal justified the additional police effort, saying "the curfew has helped to stabilise the health situation. It is absolutely crucial that we continue that trend."