Paris bars and cafes to close but restaurants can stay open under new 'maximum alert' Covid rules

Bars and cafes in Paris and surrounding districts are to close for two weeks starting from Tuesday as the French capital is placed under "maximum Covid alert".

However, in a glimmer of good news for food-loving Parisians, restaurants can remain open if they respect tightened restrictions.

"We are all well aware that we're entering a new phase," said Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo.

"The virus is going to be with us for some time, but life must go on, even if naturally not quite as before."

"These are braking measures because the epidemic is moving too fast," said Paris police chief Didier Lallement.

Paris had imposed a 10pm curfew on bars and cafes along with distancing rules but these have rarely been followed to the letter and both continue to draw large crowds.

Restaurants, described as establishments with the main business of serving food, can continue to operate provided they meet stricter new conditions.

These include making sanitising hand gel available at each dining table, limiting customers to six a table with at least a metre (3.3 feet) between seats, and allowing customers to remove their masks only for eating. Patrons will also be asked to leave a telephone number and if possible an email for contact tracing purposes.

The new measures will apply to Paris and the three departments immediately surrounding it.

Aurelien Rousseau, director of the ARS regional health agency, said Paris had hit maximum alert levels on all three key indicators: the general rate of virus prevalence, which is now above 260 per 100,000, its spread among older people at higher risk of serious illness - at 110 per 100,00 - and the number of intensive care hospital beds taken up by coronavirus patients - now at 36 per cent.

Without extra action, the latter figure would surpass 50 per cent within a fortnight, he warned.

There are currently 203 active coronavirus "clusters" in greater Paris. About 40 percent originated in schools and universities, 26 per cent in the workplace, and ten percent from private gatherings -- a number that has doubled since last month.

Health minister Olivier Veran announced last week that only improved Covid-19 infection rates could prevent "total closures" of the city's cafes and bars.

But France reported nearly 17,000 new coronavirus cases on Saturday alone, the highest daily number since the country began widespread testing.

For Paris, the number was about 3,500 new cases every day - with a high of nearly 6,000 recorded last Monday, said Mr Rousseau.

Under other new restrictions, shopping centres will only be able to welcome one customer per four metres squared and swimming pools will be closed to adults, along with dance and game halls.

Trade fairs and congresses are banned. However, outdoor sports tournaments and festivals can still welcome a maximum of 1,000 people, meaning the ongoing Paris tennis Open at Roland Garros can continue.

With 115 of the capital's 700 retirement homes dealing with Covid cases, visits will be limited to two people at a time who must book beforehand and meet elderly residents "preferably in dedicated areas".

Working from home should be prioritised "now more than ever" in the Paris area and university lecture halls should be no more than half full, said prime minister Jean Castex's office in a statement.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin acknowledged that the closure of bars and cafes would be "tough" for everyone concerned.

"We are French, we love to drink, to eat, to live, to smile and to kiss each other," he told broadcasters LCI and Europe 1 on Sunday.

"But we're also doing this because the people want us to," he added.

BFM television on Sunday published a poll saying that 61 percent of people living in Paris and its suburbs were in favour of a complete closure of bars, currently authorised to remain open until 10pm.

Franck Delvau, head of the Paris arm of hospitality union UMIH, said: "We're happy for the restaurants (but) extremely alarmed for the bars that will be closed for two weeks."  UMIH warned that around 33,000 establishments are facing bankruptcy because of virus restrictions, with up to 250,000 staff facing unemployment.

Most insurers would be unwilling to pay compensation for loss of revenue, he added.

A week ago, restaurants and bars were shut down for a fortnight in Marseille, the southern city at the epicentre of the second wave, prompting protests and an unsuccessful legal challenge.

Restaurants in Marseille will be allowed to reopen early under the same new protocols.

Other large French cities including Lille, Lyon, Grenoble and Toulouse are also hovering near the maximum alert threshold and similar measures to those in the capital could be in store for them, too.

More than 32,000 people have died from Covid-19 in France with another 49 fatalities on Saturday.