Paris COVID curfew turns busy streets into ghost town | Photos

In just a few weeks, the world’s most romantic city has gone from cafe patrons spilling into the streets – to an eerie scene of pandemic hell.

In just a few weeks, the world’s most romantic city has gone from bustling well into the night – to an eerie scene of empty cafes, closed restaurants and vacant streets.

Masked patrons spilling into the streets have been replaced by stacked chairs and blacked-out neon lights, as Paris and the rest of France battle a horror second wave of coronavirus.

In the past week alone, France has recorded almost 200,000 cases of COVID-19, with the city of Paris forced to swap late-night opening hours for cafes, bars and restaurants with a strict new nightly curfew to combat the city’s worrying surge in coronavirus cases.

As part of the new measures – which have also been implemented in other countries across Europe and in the UK – hospitality venues must close and citizens stay home between 9pm to 6am across Paris.
Other French cities, including Aix-en-Provence, Grenoble, Marseilles, Montpellier, Toulouse, Saint Etienne, Lille, Rouen and Lyon are also affected after the country hit 41,622 confirmed cases in a single 24 hour period – being an highest for the country.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex has acknowledged that “the second wave is here” in France, and that “no one is spared” from the virus.

“The situation is grave,” Castex said, noting that the new curfew measures will impact 46 million of its residents with cases doubling ever 15 days.

“The health situation in our country has continued to degrade.”

While Mr Castex has pleaded with residents to continue wearing masks, washing hands and respecting a one-metre distance, the prime minister said combating the surging case number would be subject of “collective solidarity”.

“When we are not affected, we think we are untouchable,” Castex said. “No one can consider themselves safe from this, even young people.”

Speaking to news.com.au, Sydney resident Zohar Edelshtein-Budde, who travelled from her home in the Blue Mountains to show her jewellery line at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month, said the buzzing city had become “quite scary” amid the pandemic.

“I was fearful and afraid of going,” Mrs Edelshtein-Budde explained of the business trip, which she received an exit pass from the Federal Government to attend.

“When I arrived, France was recording 14,000 virus cases per day. But everyone I spoke to, not a single person said I shouldn’t go. I took it as a sign I should go and went with my gut.

“When I got to Paris, it was like a different reality. Everyone has to wear a mask all the time and be very careful, so I was very aware of all of that.”

By the time Mrs Edelshtein-Budde had left, cases had escalated to more than 18,000 each day. Now, daily figures of coronavirus in France have peaked at over 41,000 cases in the past 24 hours alone.

But despite the figures, Mrs Edelshtein-Budde said the lifestyle in Paris – albeit quiet – was much of the same.

“All the cafe and restaurants are open,” she explained.

“It was very weird as nothing is spaced out in shops, restaurants and cafes, so I decided to not go to cafes and restaurants.

“France is a very different culture. They love their quality of life, and dining out is part of their identity.

“So while they do listen to health advice by having masks on all the time, Australians are a lot more disciplined and sensible.

“I think the French don’t let anyone hurt their quality of life … if there was a long shutdown I think there would be an upheaval. But if they just spaced out tables, it probably would’ve helped with their numbers.”

Mrs Edelshtein-Budde said she felt a similarity between the way Paris “live with” the virus, and how her homeland of Israel “live with” security problems across the country.

“In Israel, there are ongoing security problems and residents just live with it as you don't have a choice,” she explained.

“You just find a good way to live with it, and it creates a lot of joy and happiness and camaraderie.

“In Paris, they must be aware of it … because they are wearing a mask all the time and a lot of people are suffering.

“I think it will only escalate in Paris. There are curfews in the evening, but during the day it is all open. They choose to stay open and try and be safer, but as soon as the government in France make a change, their people go to the streets and demonstrate … their voice is very strong and the French are known for that.”