People wearing face masks walk next to a billboard reading: "Mandatory mask in downtown Montpellier", on August 14, 2020, in Montpellier, southern France. Masks are obligatory to curb the spread of COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus in Franc
Paris: The French government classified the capital, Paris, the city of Marseille, and the surrounding area as 'high risk' areas, and granted local administrations the powers to impose restrictions on the local scale to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
France 24 news channel said that this announcement, which was contained in a government decree, came after a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in France over the past two weeks.
The decree gives local authorities in Paris and the Bouches-du-Rhone region the power to limit the movement of residents and vehicles, impose restrictions on public transport and air travel, limit entry to public buildings, and close restaurants and other facilities.
On Thursday, France reported more than 2,500 new COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day, which did not occur since mid-April during the implementation of general isolation measures that were among the most severe in Europe.
Britain said late on Thursday that it would impose a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from France, as of Saturday, due to the high infection rates.
