By Ben Kerrigan-
Eating and drinking is to be banned under new rules in France, as well as a limit on outdoor public gatherings which will be restricted to 5,000 people.
Nightclubs in France will remain closed until further notice and cafés and bars will be able to provide table service only, as France attempts to fight the omicron variant.
Employees who work from home will have to do so at least three days a week, and mask-wearing will become compulsory in city centres.
As from 3 January, remote working will become compulsory for those who can, and public gatherings will be limited to 2,000 people for indoor events.
The news comes as France recorded more than 100,000 new infections on Saturday – the highest number reported in the country since the pandemic began.
Health minister Olivier Véran expressed fear of a mega wave of new cases, as he said coronavirus infections were doubling every two days.
The new rules also include limits on outdoor public gatherings – which will be restricted to 5,000 people – and a ban on eating and drinking on long distance transport.
Nightclubs will remain closed until further notice and cafés and bars will be able to provide table service only. Employees who work from home will have to do so at least three days a week, and ask-wearing will become compulsory in city centres, he said.
The government is also shortening the length of time between booster shots from four months after the last vaccination to three months.
France’s planned vaccine pass – which will require proof of vaccination, not just a negative test, to enter public spaces – will come into effect from 15 January, pending approval from a draft bill.
France is panicking following an average of more than 70,000 new daily infections and over 1,600 new hospitalizations, bringing the total number of people in hospital as a result of Covid-19 to 17,000, if the data from France’s public health authority is to be trusted.
Hospitalization numbers from the omicron variant is enough to worry about if there were enough information on other illnesses mixed with the variant which triggers the hospitalization, in order to aid a full assessment of the variant and the restrictive measures necessary to keep it in check.