France restores state of health emergency after three months, announces curfew

French President Emmanuel Macron's office says France will restore a state of health emergency that expired on July 10, to tackle the spread of COVID-19.

He also announced additional measures in a television address on Wednesday night local time (5am AEDT), including a curfew from 9pm to 6am for the Paris region, as well as in the cities of Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, St Etienne and Toulouse.

The curfew begins on Saturday, and anyone found breaking it — leaving home during curfew for "unnecessary reasons", such as going to a bar or restaurant — will be penalised.

Read more: Europe tightens rules as virus surges

France initially declared a state of health emergency in March, paving the way for the government to oblige citizens to stay home in lockdown.

– Reported with Associated Press

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