Paris bans public alcohol as hospitals hit limit in record heatwave
Paris authorities have banned public drinking from Friday midday after hospitals became saturated by a record-breaking heatwave, with the government also triggering a national health emergency.
Hospital system under strain
Paris hospitals and those in the surrounding region are overwhelmed by a surge of heat-related emergencies, with the number of hospitalisations rising steadily. On Wednesday alone, 25 cardiac arrests were recorded in the capital in 24 hours, compared to fewer than 10 on a typical day, according to the office of Health Minister Stéphanie Rist. Nationwide, emergency room visits for heat-related causes have quadrupled and calls to SOS Médecins are also four times higher than usual.
We are reaching a saturation of hospital facilities. My duty is to prevent the hospital system from collapsing.
Alcohol ban effective Friday
Patrice Faure, the Paris police chief, announced that an edict would be published on Thursday evening banning the consumption of alcohol in public spaces from midday on Friday. The ban will run from 12:00 until 7:00 the following morning, effective Friday through Sunday morning. Off-premise alcohol sales are prohibited from 18:00 during the weekend. Restaurants and licensed establishments are exempt from the restrictions.
I will publish an edict this evening which will ban the consumption of alcohol in public from tomorrow midday onwards. As you know, drinking alcohol with the sun beating down can have a devastating effect.
A record-breaking heatwave
France recorded its hottest day in nearly 80 years on Tuesday, with a maximum of 44.3°C in the southwestern town of Pissos. In Paris, temperatures have reached as high as 41°C, and even at night the city is barely cooling down. Dozens of deaths across the country are being attributed to heatstroke and drowning, and the early victims include young people suffering cardiac arrests, not only the elderly.
Ripple effects across Europe
In neighbouring Belgium, a rare red alert for extreme heat is hitting livestock farmers. Milk and meat production are expected to fall as cows and pigs suffer heat stress. Sander Palmans, a farmer and researcher in Bocholt, reported his cows eating less and avoiding warm bedding, while pig growth rates are down by roughly 150 grams per day.
This heatwave costs us between €150 and €200 a day.
Government mobilises emergency plan
The French government has triggered Level 3 of the Orsan health emergency plan (on a four-level scale), allowing hospitals to mobilise medical students, free up beds, cancel non-urgent procedures and call on the health reserve. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu also confirmed a doubling of the energy renovation budget for hospitals between 2026 and 2035, to €600 million. Possible cancellation of Saturday's Pride March and the Solidays festival will be decided after an interministerial crisis meeting on Thursday evening.
- France records hottest day in nearly 80 years, reaching 44.3°C in Pissos.
- 25 cardiac arrests in Paris in 24 hours, compared to fewer than 10 normally; heat-related emergency visits surge fourfold.
- Paris police chief announces alcohol ban; hospitals at saturation; government triggers Orsan level 3.
- Public alcohol consumption ban starts at midday; off-premise sales banned from 6 p.m.
- Decision expected on whether to cancel Paris Pride March and Solidays festival.
- Ban remains in effect through Sunday morning.
