Empty streets in France as curfew enforced
The streets of Paris and eight other French cities were deserted on Saturday night as a fresh curfew was enforced.
The controversial overnight curfew is targeted at curbing the soaring Covid infection rate in France, which is among Europe's coronavirus hotspots.
There have been complaints from restaurant owners, whose companies are already suffering following the two-month lockdown in the spring.
New measures are also to be announced in Italy due to a growth in cases.
Italy, which was the first European country to be hit substantially by Covid in the first wave, registered a record number of new daily cases on Saturday.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will announce fresh restrictions on Sunday.
Local media said the brand new rules could target non-essential activities including gyms, pools, and amateur sporting events.
In France, about 20 million French persons are covered by the month-long curfew in cities including Marseille, Lyon, Lille, and Toulouse, along with the capital. The curfew runs from 21:00 to 06:00 every evening.
President Emmanuel Macron said the curfews were essential to avoid the chance of hospitals being overrun.
But many are worried about the effect it could have on businesses.
"There will certainly be employees who'll lose their jobs," Stefano Anselmo, manager of Italian restaurant Bianco in Paris told the Reuters news agency. "It's a tragedy."
France reported an archive number of new cases of the virus on Saturday - a growth of 32,427, the medical ministry said. A day earlier the country recorded 25,086 new infections.
