Over 1,200 Fines Issued for France's 'Wild New Year's Party'

Over 2,500 Gather Nationwide for New Year Celebration Party
France's COVID-19 Cumulative Cases Surpass 260,000, Deaths Near 65,000

[Asia Economy International Department Reporter] Fines were imposed on more than 1,200 people who held a wild New Year's celebration party in a large warehouse in a rural village in France. France is a country with a cumulative total of 260,000 confirmed cases and 64,921 deaths from the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

According to foreign media including the AP on the 2nd (local time), French police arrested seven people, including two ringleaders, among those who attended the New Year's party held in an empty warehouse in Lierlong, Brittany region, on the 31st of last month, and fined more than 1,200 people.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Among the 1,200 fined, 800 were for not wearing masks and violating curfew, and the remaining 400 were drug possession offenders.

In France, violating COVID-19 quarantine measures or curfew results in a minimum fine of 135 euros (about 180,000 KRW).

About 2,500 people from across the country flocked to this secret party held on the last day of 2020, and most attendees enjoyed the party without wearing masks.

Videos reported by local media showed no one wearing masks; everyone was holding a bottle of alcohol in one hand, surrendering to the music, and dancing wildly.

When police arrived at the scene, some people threw stones at the police, and some even set police cars on fire.

The police only managed to disperse the party on the morning of the 2nd, 36 hours after it started.

The French government has been gradually easing the nationwide COVID-19 movement restrictions imposed on October 30 last year, but since December 15, a curfew has been in place from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.