Last late supper as Paris curfew kicks in
It was the one last chance for a late night out in a Paris restaurant on Friday (October 16) as the French capital prepared for a new nightly curfew.
French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the curfew in Paris this week, alongside eight other big cities, in order to get a grip on the safety of public health.
The measures mean people will not be allowed out between 9pm and 6am unless they have a good reason to.
It means a much earlier closing time for restaurants.
Patrick Santos is the manager of Bistro Piaf.
"It's even more difficult now, because to stop selling alcohol at 10pm was difficult, but to stop serving dinner, after this we will only make 40 percent of turnover, maximum, it’s going to be very hard. We will continue to open for another week and see how much we make and see if we can make it, but if we can’t reach the numbers, we will have to close."
French authorities said companies in the beleaguered hospitality industry would be exempt from social charges if their revenues crashed by more than 50% as a result of the curfews.
