Curfew imposed in Paris and 8 other cities of France due to COVID-19

The French government on Wednesday forced curfew in Paris and eight other cities from Saturday because of increasing coronavirus cases the nation.

"We have to move. We need to place a brake on the extent of the virus," President Emmanuel Macron stated on public television, declaring a closedown between 9:00 pm and 6:00 am that will continue in force for as long as six weeks.

Other major French cities such as Lyon, Mediterranean port Marseille and southwestern Toulouse will likewise require curfews, with around 20 million people impacted in all, out of a total population of some 67 million.

Just minutes before Macron's speech, his government had announced it would prolong a state of a health emergency.

With over one million coronavirus deaths and nearly 40 million cases globally, countries like in Europe that contained the first outbreak are again standing tough decisions on how to manage a new wave without the economic destruction wrought by nationwide lockdowns.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel declared more stringent rules on gatherings and mask-wearing.

"I am persuaded that what we do now will be crucial for how we come through this pandemic," the leader said.

New contaminations in Germany continued to rise Wednesday, accelerating past 5,000 cases in 24 hours -- a level not seen since a lockdown imposed on Europe's biggest economy in the spring.

"We're in a position where I think we can still flatten the exponential growth," Lothar Wieler, head of Germany's disease control agency said. "But for that, we all need to make an attempt."