Following a state of emergency declaration due to rapidly rising cases of COVID-19, French President Emmanuel Macron announced curfews in nine major French cities, including Paris, on Wednesday. “We have to act. We need to put a brake on the spread of the virus,” Macron said. “We have to reduce the number of social contacts … of festive contacts, that are taking place. It will demand a big effort from everyone–but it is necessary.” The French health ministry announced on Wednesday 22,950 new cases of the virus and said that 32 percent of the country’s ICU beds were filled with COVID-1 patients. The curfew will last for four weeks and will be enforced between 9pm and 6am from on Saturday in cities including Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse and Lille. Macron said that the goal is to reduce new infections per day to 3,000-5,000.