Paris bans ‘jogging’

PARIS: Paris officials said on Tuesday that they would ban daytime jogging as people continue to flout the nation´s anti-coronavirus lockdown rules, after France recorded its highest daily death toll from the outbreak.

Under the confinement rules that came into force on March 17, people can leave their homes only for essential purposes, which had included a solo walk or run within one kilometre (0.6 miles) of their homes.

But as sunny days arrived at the weekend, large groups of Parisians were seen running, walking and congregating in groups, even as police issued fines for lockdown violations and hospitals struggled to cope with the influx of patients. On Tuesday, as France entered its fourth week of lockdown, Paris toughened the confinement rules, announcing a ban on individual outdoor sports between the hours of 10:00 am and 07:00 pm starting Wednesday.