Paris, Oct 17 (AFP/APP):Millions of Europeans on Saturday faced tough new coronavirus restrictions as governments try to combat spiraling infections. Paris and other French cities are under a nighttime curfew which will last for at least a month, while England is banning mixed household gatherings in the capital and other areas and Italy’s most populous region is limiting bar openings and suspending sports events. Cases of the disease which has upended life across the globe and wreaked social and economic havoc have been soaring beyond levels seen in the first wave earlier this year, when many countries sought to stem the tide with lockdowns of varying degree. On Friday, the number of cases in the United States — the hardest-hit country in the world — topped eight million while globally daily infections hit a new record. In the face of the surge, governments have been forced to embark on ever tighter measures to control the pandemic’s spread, while trying to avoid full-on lockdowns. Covid-19 has now claimed the lives of 1.1 million across the planet since it first emerged in China in December, with the United States suffering the most deaths of any country at more than 218,000. About 20 … Continue reading Paris under curfew as Europe battles soaring virus caseload