Notorious for its extraordinary traffic congestion, Paris outdid itself on Thursday evening, with a record-breaking 700km traffic jam as residents fled the capital ahead of the second coronavirus lockdown.
Many Parisians apparently opted to spend the impending lockdown in the countryside, in scenes reminiscent of the first lockdown earlier this year, before which residents fled the major population centers. Eyewitness footage from the French capital captured the chaos.
Incredible traffic jam in Paris as people try to leave the city before 9 pm curfew and before confinement begins at midnight. Traffic is barely moving in every direction as far as the eye can see. Lots of honking and frustrated drivers. pic.twitter.com/6Zn2HCxuPl
Boulogne 20h40. En #SMUR sirènes et gyrophares. Y’a t’il une connerie qu’il n’ont pas faite?? On peu pas accuser le gouvernement. #deuxiemevague#confinementSaison2 750km de bouchon à 18:00, 350km à 20:40. Mais quels cons... y’a pas d’autres qualificatifs possibles ???? pic.twitter.com/UP6FPKPwEv
According to France’s traffic department, jams throughout the Ile-de-France region stretched out over 430 miles (700km) on Thursday evening ahead of the country’s second lockdown, which came into force at midnight on Friday amid a surge in coronavirus cases. There were 47,637 new cases and 250 new deaths reported on Thursday alone.
Similar tailbacks were reported around the cities of Lyon and Bordeaux in the hours prior to the lockdown taking effect.
Dernier passage avant un moment au compteur Sébastopol, qui affichait près de 11 000 cyclistes vers 19h10. On voit la voie générale vide par moment, et à la fin on voit le croisement bouché qui paralysait tout le reste de Sébastopol jusqu’à Châtelet au moins. pic.twitter.com/vS66LSCXnX
“Paris traffic is legendary but I’ve never seen anything like this,”wrote one Twitter user.
Stay-at-home orders have been issued nationwide with few exemptions for work, food shopping, and medical reasons allowed. Outdoor exercise is permitted only within 1km of home while schools will remain open, though children over six years old will be required to wear masks.
President Emmanuel Macron warned that the country could be “overwhelmed by a second wave that no doubt will be harder than the first,” as coronavirus deaths reached their highest level since April.
Despite this, eyewitness footage from the streets of Paris purports to show those left behind in the capital seizing the last opportunity to socialize before the four-week lockdown began, with streetside bars and restaurants thronged with customers.
The last pint...Bars (restaurants that are still open) are rammed in Paris... with 30 mins to go before curfew and a few hours before lockdown kicks in. This will be the last time in a while that we'll see this... Probably not what hospital chiefs want to see right now pic.twitter.com/Ea5IuBi5ms
Paris and the northeast of France were the hardest-hit areas of the country during the first wave of the pandemic. By comparison, during the second wave, the virus is spreading widely across all regions.
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