Paris bans public drinking and takeaway alcohol as heatwave bites
The French capital enforces strict bans to protect public health as an unprecedented European heatwave triggers hospital saturation and widespread infrastructure failures.
- Paris has banned public alcohol consumption from Friday noon until Saturday morning, and again overnight on Saturday.
- The sale of takeaway alcohol is also prohibited from 6 pm onwards.
- These restrictions are a response to an extreme heatwave and aim to prevent severe dehydration from outdoor drinking.
- Licensed bars and restaurants are exempt from the ban.
As an extreme heatwave sweeps across Europe, French authorities have enforced strict measures to cope with overflowing hospitals and failing infrastructure.
In Paris, Police Chief Patrice Faure has banned public alcohol consumption from Friday noon until Saturday morning, and again overnight on Saturday, alongside a ban on takeaway alcohol sales from 6pm.
The restrictions aim to prevent severe dehydration from outdoor drinking, though licensed bars and restaurants are exempt.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has escalated the national "Orsan" health disaster plan to its maximum level three, mobilising emergency medical staff and swiftly securing hospital beds to manage the saturation point.
The heat has also forced three French nuclear power plants to take their reactors offline temporarily as river water used for cooling exceeded safety standards, whilst a teachers' union has launched strikes over hazardous, un-airconditioned classrooms.
The medical toll is escalating rapidly across all age groups.
Health Minister Stéphanie Rist warned that cardiac arrests among young adults in Paris have quadrupled within the past 24 hours.
In a tragic incident, a three-year-old girl died inside a vehicle in the Parisian suburbs due to the extreme heat.
Professor Louis Soulat, head of emergency services in Rennes, reported five to six home fatalities, predominantly among those aged over 60.
Addressing the crisis, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire strongly condemned over 100 youths seen jogging and cycling in the sweltering evening. "This is totally irresponsible behaviour," Grégoire stated.
"Everyone must understand they do not have supernatural powers or resistance. Stopping exercise for a few days to save your life is not a big deal."
The unprecedented heat mass is now pushing towards Eastern Europe, leaving a trail of record-breaking temperatures.
Following France's hottest day on record, which saw nighttime averages rising to 22 degrees Celsius and Nantes peaking at 27.2 degrees overnight, Germany and the Czech Republic are bracing for severe conditions.
Deutsche Bahn is allowing passengers to cancel their train journeys free of charge in anticipation of 40-degree highs on Friday, and Hamburg has called off its Sunday half-marathon.
The Czech Republic has issued an extreme weather warning as the heat index hits the high 30s, expecting to reach 40 degrees by the weekend.
In Italy, Florence's Uffizi Gallery has suspended ticket sales until 28 June following an air conditioning failure caused by the blistering heat outside.
Italian forecasters warn the heatwave will peak next Monday, with night temperatures remaining above 29 degrees Celsius.
Compounding the regional crisis, weather authorities have warned that western France will face severe thunderstorms and 110 km/h winds along the Atlantic coast, prompting the Garorock festival in Lot-et-Garonne to abruptly cancel its opening day.
