{UAH} FRANCE TO CLOSE ALL RESTURANTS, CAFES, CINEMAS AND NON-ESSENTIAL SHOPS EFFECTIVE SUNDAY

France to close all restaurants, cafes, cinemas, non-essential shops because of coronavirus concerns

 

By Muri Assunção

Mar 14, 2020 | 6:09 PM

Restaurant Le Train Bleu located at the Gare de Lyon train station Paris sits empty.(Jan Kranendonk/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The global coronavirus crisis is now affecting all restaurants, cafes, cinemas and non-essential shops in France.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe made the announcement in a televised press conference, hoping to curb the fast spread of the pandemic, which has infected more than 150,000 people worldwide.

 

The rule takes effect Sunday.

"Markets and food shops, pharmacies, gas stations, banks, newspaper and tobacco stores will remain open," Philippe said, according to CNN.

"Places of worship will remain open, but religious ceremonies and gatherings will be postponed," he added.

The drastic measures come after the country ordered all schools to be closed, and also implemented a ban on gatherings of crowds of 100 people or more.

"We have seen too many people in cafes and restaurants. In usual times, this would make me happy. Because this is the France we all love. But for a few weeks, this is not what we should be doing," Philippe added

Municipal elections, which are scheduled for Sunday, are still going to happen, though special measures will be implemented to make sure people are kept at a distance that’s considered safe, according to The Associated Press.

 

Authorities say that there have been more that 4,500 confirmed cases in France as of Saturday, including 91 deaths

On Friday, the World Health Organization declared Europe as the center of the pandemic.

“More cases are now being reported [in Europe] every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press conference.

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