health
Paris to ban drinking alcohol in public as hospitals hit heatwave breaking point
Ban kicks in at noon on Friday as police chief says hospitals in the French capital have reached ‘saturation point’
TL;DR
- Paris is imposing a temporary ban on public alcohol consumption and takeaway sales.
- Hospitals in Paris are reaching 'saturation point' due to a deadly heatwave.
- Temperatures in Paris hit a June record of 40.9C.
- The ban aims to reduce hospitalizations, including cardiac arrests, which have quadrupled in Paris.
- Measures to cope with the heat include extended park hours and reduced hours at tourist attractions like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.
- Over 44 million people in France are under the highest heat alert.
- The heatwave has also led to deaths from drowning, heat in cars, and impacted bird populations.
- Two French nuclear reactors were shut down to prevent discharging excessively hot water into rivers.