Paris “ will be spared ” during the blocking of the weekend with the mayor

Paris should escape the weekend lockdown measures that are to be imposed on “a handful” of high-risk departments across France.

Before new restrictions were announced by Prime Minister Jean Castex at a press conference later Thursday, government sources told French media that the Île-de-France region surrounding Paris would likely get a reprieve.

This follows a defense council meeting in which moving from an 6 p.m. curfew to a full weekend lockdown was seen as a “last resort” for the French capital.

However, a government source told BFMTV that gatherings should be avoided at all costs and that residents “should understand that they have to stay at home.”

The source added: “You really have to be careful… The next step is heavy imprisonment, with schools closed.”

Delicate subject
The possibility of a weekend lockdown is a sensitive topic in Paris, where Mayor Anne Hidalgo has said such a decision would be “inhumane”.

While weekend closures have already been imposed on Dunkirk, in the north, and Nice, in the south – Hidalgo insists that a tighter three-week total lockdown was a smarter move that would allow the capital to open its doors earlier.

France Info reported that resistance in Paris to a weekend lockdown – with people still allowed to travel for work during the week – was a factor in the government’s expected decision to spare the capital.

Last week, 20 French departments – including Île-de-France – were placed under enhanced surveillance. This list should be updated, with some exiting “red zone” status and others passing through.

It is understood that the entire Nord department of Pas-de-Calais, which has seen an explosion in the number of cases, will be locked out on weekends for the next three or four weeks.