Paris bans all daylight outdoor sports activities

(AP Photo/Lesdronographes) (Lesdronographes, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

PARIS – Central Paris was even more deserted than before on Wednesday morning after local authorities banned all outdoor sports activities during the day.

The 10 am-7 pm (0800-1700 GMT) exercise ban was enforced after Parisians took to the streets in numbers over the weekend to enjoy the sunny weather.

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Most residents immediately complied with the new restrictions as very few people could be seen jogging after 10 am on Wednesday.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and police prefect Didier Lallement insisted on Tuesday that Parisians should limit their movement to vital outings, amid stringent lockdown measures implemented across the country.

From Wednesday, Parisians are only allowed to exercise outdoors when "street crowds are at their lowest."

Parisians were previously allowed to exercise outdoors for an hour while carrying a form explaining the reason why they were going out.

The virus causes mild to moderate symptoms in most people, but for some, especially older adults and those with underlying health problems, it can cause pneumonia and lead to death.

France has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with over 10,000 dead and more than 110,000 recorded infections across the country.