Paris has banned alcohol due to a record heat wave
Paris has imposed a temporary ban on alcohol consumption in public places due to the record-breaking heatwave that has swept across France and much of Europe. The decision was made amid a strained healthcare system and a sharp rise in hospitalizations. The temperature in the city reached +40.9 °C, setting a new record high for June.
Restrictions in the French capital have been sharply tightened due to the abnormal heat, which in recent days has literally engulfed Europe in a wave of scorching air and placed a critical strain on the city’s healthcare system, where hospitals are already operating at full capacity.
The Guardian reported this, noting that Paris recorded a June temperature record of +40.9 °C, and the number of requests for medical assistance has skyrocketed amid weather conditions that doctors describe as potentially life-threatening. Paris Police Chief Patrice Four explained that the decision to ban alcohol in public places is a necessary measure to reduce the strain on medical services, which are unable to keep up with new cases of deteriorating health. “We have reached the point where medical facilities are overwhelmed. I must ensure that the burden is reduced,” he said.
Under the new rules, the ban will be in effect during specific hours from Friday through Sunday and will not apply to restaurants and cafes with seating; however, the sale of alcohol for takeout is also restricted during the evening and at night. At the same time, city authorities have introduced additional measures to mitigate the effects of the heat: some schools have been closed, parks are now open 24 hours a day, and major tourist attractions, including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, have shortened their visiting hours.
French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist reported that in the last 24 hours alone, the number of emergency calls for cardiac arrest in Paris has quadrupled, indicating a critical strain on the healthcare system. France has also recorded dozens of heat-related deaths, particularly among people who tried to cool off in dangerous bodies of water or lost consciousness in the water, and isolated cases of children’s deaths have served as a further warning sign of the crisis’s scale.
According to weather forecasts, the grueling heat in France will persist for at least several more days, forcing authorities to prepare for further tightening of restrictive measures. The Guardian reports on this.
As a reminder, at a summit in Brussels on June 18, the European Union decided for the first time to extend sanctions against Russia not for the standard six months, but for a full year. In doing so, the EU is moving away from its previous practice of regularly reviewing sanctions every six months.
The EU Council is expected to officially approve the new sanctions package in the coming weeks, according to Deutsche Welle.
