French government says epidemic is public health disaster; Italy sees 7,332 new cases; record new daily cases in Portugal, Switzerland, Iran and Russia
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7.11pm BST
The French president Emmanuel Macron has announced a curfew during which everyone must be at home between 9pm and 6am for the Paris region, as well as the cities of Grenoble, Lillie, Lyon, Toulouse and other cities. The curfew will begin on Saturday and will last for four weeks, he said.
Addressing the nation to announce the new restrictions, Macron said the pandemic was “worrying” but that “we have not lost control of the situation”. Thought the virus was spreading throughout France, a second national lockdown would be disproportionate, he said.
6.54pm BST
In a statement announcing the state of emergency, giving officials greater powers to impose new measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, the French government said:
The Covid-19 epidemic constitutes a public health disaster which, by its character and its severity, puts at risk the health of the population. It justifies the declaration of a state of emergency so that measures can be adopted … which are strictly proportionate to the public health risks.
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