Paris authorities have banned drinking alcohol in public spaces as a severe heat wave grips the French capital, part of a wider push to ease strain on emergency services.
The restriction, ordered by the Paris Police Prefecture, runs in two stretches: from noon Friday until 7 a.m. Saturday, then again from noon Saturday until 7 a.m. Sunday. Drinking is still permitted at outdoor café and restaurant terraces.
Paris and the surrounding ÃŽle-de-France region remain under the country’s highest heat warning, “red alert,” with temperatures in parts of France climbing toward 40°C (104°F) this week. Officials say curbing public drinking is meant to reduce alcohol-related medical emergencies at a time when hospitals are already stretched thin by heat-related cases.
The move follows similar restrictions imposed last weekend during France’s nationwide Music Day festivities, when organizers were told to limit alcohol sales at outdoor concerts. That earlier heat spell was blamed for several drownings, including four children, as people sought relief in rivers, canals and lakes.
A new scientific analysis released this week found that human-caused climate change has made heat waves of this intensity roughly ten times more likely than in 2003, and said temperatures now being recorded across Europe would have been all but impossible without it.
Other precautions in Paris have included early closures at the Eiffel Tower and misting stations set up at major public sites to help residents and tourists cope with the heat.
