Millions face fresh coronavirus curbs as Europe battles soaring infections

Paris is under a night-time curfew, while England is banning mixed household gatherings in London

Meanwhile, Germany’s Merkel urged citizens to stay at home whenever possible after 7,830 cases emerged over 24 hours

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Tourists shops are empty in a deserted street outside the Sacre Coeur basilica in the Montmartre district of Paris. Photo: AP

Published: 10:59pm, 17 Oct 2020Updated: 10:59pm, 17 Oct 2020

Millions of Europeans on Saturday faced tough new coronavirus restrictions as governments try to combat spiralling infections.

Paris and other French cities are under a night-time curfew which will last for at least a month, while England is banning mixed household gatherings in the capital and other areas and Italy’s most populous region is limiting bar openings and suspending sports events.

Cases of the disease which has upended life across the globe and wreaked social and economic havoc have been soaring beyond levels seen in the first wave earlier this year, when many countries sought to stem the tide with lockdowns of varying degree.

On Friday, the number of cases in the US – the hardest-hit country in the world – topped eight million while globally daily infections hit a new record.

In the face of the surge, governments have been forced to embark on ever tighter measures to control the pandemic’s spread, while trying to avoid full-on lockdowns.

Covid-19 has now claimed the lives of 1.1 million across the planet since it first emerged in China in December, with the US suffering the most deaths of any country at more than 218,000.