French authorities have brought back night-time curfews in Paris, Lyon, Lille, Bordeaux and Nice following the worst street violence the country has seen in years. Police prefects began sealing off the Place de la République and the Les Halles district of Paris at 11 p.m. on 19 October; similar orders (9 p.m.–6 a.m.) now apply to Lyon’s city centre and—to minors—in several other regional hubs. Travellers caught inside the zones must either prove residence or detour via surrounding boulevards, while metro services are skipping the affected stations. The measures follow nationwide protests that started over cost-of-living pressures and spiralled into looting and arson. More than 2,400 arrests have been made and the government has mobilised the military “Sentinelle” force to guard key sites so that 7,000 extra police and gendarmes can be redeployed to crowd-control duties. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has warned that an even larger demonstration is being organised for Saturday, and said the curfews will remain “as long as necessary”. For business travellers the curfews have two immediate consequences. First, evening ground transport is severely limited: RATP has closed Châtelet, Les Halles and République after 22:00 and diverted RER B trains away from central interchanges (see separate story). Second, hotels inside the zones must check guests against police lists, which could delay late arrivals. Companies should advise travellers to carry proof of accommodation and schedule airport or rail transfers before 20:00 where possible. Longer-term, the curfews could be extended beyond the initial nightly windows or expanded geographically if Saturday’s protests escalate. Employers with posted workers or assignees in France should review duty-of-care policies and ensure emergency contact trees are up to date. Multinationals running shift operations may need to apply for derogations or adapt rotas to comply with movement restrictions.
Source: Associated Press / Le Monde
