COVID-19 surge prompts banning of food delivery in Paris

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Starting Friday, all sales, delivery and takeaway of food and drinks in Paris will be banned from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., says Paris police.
• The new move comes a week after President Emmanuel Macron mandated a new lockdown last month on non-essential stores.
• The latest restrictions on night takeaway and delivery services were imposed in a move to limit social gatherings of people and lessen unnecessary outdoor trips.

In a move to curb coronavirus spread, Paris police announced Thursday that starting Friday all delivery and takeaway services for food and alcohol in the city will be prohibited from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

In addition, the sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks in public spaces at night will also be banned from Nov. 6, say city officials in a statement.

With the new lockdown enforced last month by President Emmanuel Macron, non-essential shops including restaurants are ordered to close with people being required to issue signed documents to explain why they are outdoors. Though dining in restaurants is restricted, they were allowed to continue operating their takeaway and delivery services.

However one week into the lockdown, France posted over 40,000 new daily coronavirus cases putting hospitals across the country under renewed pressure as more than 4,000 ICU beds are now occupied by COVID-19 patients.

Despite the need to limit the circulation of people, authorities noted that nighttime deliveries, takeaways and alcohol sales were generating unnecessary trips to the stores and interactions between customers and food couriers.

“When you get people who are not playing by the rules of the game, and are therefore putting at risk the health of a large number of people, that is when you need to put in place new restrictions,” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo told BFMTV, further adding that she’d rather rely on economic players and citizens rather than depending too much on the political approach.

Citing several unauthorized parties, raves and private dinners in Paris, a French government source also suggested that aggressive health measures should be enacted to minimize social interactions.

The new lockdowns have sparked protests across Europe amid countries including France and Spain struggling to combat a surge in daily infections and added pressure on overcrowded hospitals.

France reported 40,558 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday and 385 deaths, marking the national total death toll from COVID to 38,674. So far, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country now stands at around 1.5 million.

Source: Fox Business