France to mobilise 100,000 police to break up New Year’s Eve parties

France announced that it will mobilise around 100,000 police and gendarmes to break up New Year’s Eve parties and enforce a curfew imposed to combat coronavirus.

The extra security also aims at halting the torching of cars that often takes place on the final night of the year.

With the highest COVID-19 cases count in Western Europe and the fifth in the world, France has already brought in two national lockdowns. France has confirmed 2.6m Covid-19 cases and more than 64,000 deaths.

Those measures were eased in mid-December, but restaurants and bars are off limits for now and it is not clear when they might re-open, even if a Jan. 20 was initially floated as a target date.

BBC/Reuters

Photo Lights are projected on the Louvre’s Museum Pyramid during the tuning of the performance of the French Dj David Guetta in Paris, 29 December 2020 (issued 30 December 2020). The third edition of the Guetta’s ‘United at Home’ concert will be broadcasted 31 December for the New Year Eve celebration on social media and TV. Due to the still high number of Covid-19 cases, a curfew is imposed between 8 pm and 6 am effective from 15 December 2020 and all the streets gathering or celebrations are cancelled. EPA-EFE/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON