Paris police prefect Patrice Faure issued a decree banning the consumption of alcohol in public places in Paris from Friday noon. He cited that hospitals in and around Paris are “overloaded” due to people collapsing during extreme heat and the number of hospitalizations continues to rise. The aim of the measure is to burden hospitals and emergency services from further interventions related to alcohol, AFP reported, writes TASR.
- Paris has banned the consumption of alcohol in public on hot weekends.
- The ban does not apply to the terraces of restaurants and bars with permits.
On Thursday, Faure presented to the public a whole package of measures, among which is a decree banning the consumption of alcohol in public places in Paris, which will be valid from noon on Friday to 07:00 on Saturday and from noon on Saturday to 07:00 on Sunday. However, this ban does not apply to those public spaces that are usually occupied by restaurants and bars with the necessary permits.
Restrictions on the sale of alcohol
The sale of takeaway alcohol is prohibited from Friday 6:00 p.m. to Saturday 7:00 a.m. and from Saturday 6:00 p.m. to Sunday 7:00 a.m. “This ban also applies to retail outlets that exclusively sell such beverages,” the decree states.
According to the RTL website, the measures regarding the consumption and sale of alcohol were issued on the eve of France’s third match at the FIFA World Cup.
The DPA agency added that during the Festival of Music (Fête de la Musique), which takes place in France on the first day of summer, the ban on alcohol consumption in Paris helped to significantly reduce the number of riots and interventions by emergency services.
At the same time, Faure said that the authorities are considering canceling the march in support of the rights of LGBTI+ people, which is planned for this weekend. The final decision in this matter has not yet been made.
Consequences of extreme heat
The mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, reported on Thursday that the number of heat-related deaths was increasing in the capital, but did not release specific figures. However, the media reported that a three-year-old child was found dead in a car in the Paris metropolitan area on Thursday. This is the third child victim during the extreme heat wave that has hit France this week.
AFP added that they measured 40.3 degrees Celsius in Paris on Wednesday. The threshold of 40 degrees Celsius was exceeded in Paris only for the fourth time in the last 150 years.
