French president Emmanuel Macron has announced a curfew for nine cities, including Paris, in an effort to control the spread of coronavirus.
The curfew means people must stay indoors between 9pm and 6am, Mr Macron said, and it will last for at least four weeks beginning from this Saturday.
As well as the capital, the measures will apply to Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Aix-en-Provence, Rouen, Toulouse, Grenoble and Montpellier.
Earlier this evening, the Government of France declared a state of emergency in the country, allowing new measures to be imposed.
A statement released by the 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.”
The announcements came as France reported more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases for the third time in six days, with the number of people being treated in hospital for Covid-19 breaking 9,100 for the first time since June 25.
Mr Macron said: “We have to act. We need to put a brake on the spread of the virus.”