Paris police chief Patrice Faure banned the sale and consumption of alcohol in open-air spaces starting Friday at noon.
The measure comes as a severe heatwave pushes the city's healthcare infrastructure to a breaking point. By restricting alcohol, officials aim to reduce the number of heat-related medical emergencies and dehydration cases that further strain emergency services.
Faure said the decision on Thursday, stating that hospitals in Paris and its surrounding metropolitan area are currently saturated [1]. The city is grappling with temperatures reaching or exceeding 40°C [2], which has led to a surge in hospitalizations across the region.
This weather event is described as a historic record, marking the hottest day ever recorded in France [3]. The extreme heat has triggered a Level 3 activation of the Orsan plan, a specialized emergency response framework used to manage large-scale sanitary crises [4].
Emergency responders are facing unprecedented demand. Firefighters conducted more than 2,500 interventions in a single day to assist citizens affected by the heat [5]. The pressure on the medical system has remained intense, with government official Sébastien Lecornu saying the crisis does not weaken [6].
Local authorities have issued red alerts and vigilance warnings as they attempt to manage the public health risk. The ban on outdoor alcohol consumption is intended to prevent additional preventable admissions to an already overwhelmed hospital network [1].
“"Les hôpitaux sont saturés"”
The activation of Level 3 of the Orsan plan and the prohibition of alcohol sales signal a transition from standard heatwave management to a state of public health emergency. By targeting alcohol consumption, the city is attempting to mitigate the physiological risks of dehydration and heatstroke, which can be exacerbated by alcohol, to prevent a total collapse of the emergency room capacity in the Île-de-France region.
