Lyon
The French parliamentarians voted by a majority for a ban on domestic flights on routes that can be covered by train in less than two and a half hours. Flights from Paris to Lyon or Bordeaux could thus soon be a thing of the past.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire had already voiced such ideas in May 2020, when state aid for AirFrance-KLM was decided. The weekend's vote picks up on these plans and aims to help reduce CO₂ emissions permanently - even if the air travel industry picks up again after the global pandemic. The ban is part of a broader climate law that aims to reduce French carbon dioxide emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a curfew for Paris region and several other French cities. Under the curfew, people must be at home between 9 pm and 6 am. If curfew is broken, people will face a fine of €135. The curfew will last for up to four weeks, depending on Coronavirus cases.
Other cities include: Rouen, Lille, St Etienne, Lyon, Grenoble, Montpellier, Marseille and Toulouse
After Marseille and Paris, the cities of Lyon, Lille, Grenoble and Saint-Etienne will close their bars and restaurants from Saturday.
The maximum-alert level in the country comes into effect when infection rates in a locality exceed 250 cases per 100,000 people, and at least 30% of intensive care beds are reserved for Covid-19 patients.
The French government announced the measures as the country had a near-record of 18,129 new cases in a day.