4/27/2020
France Issues 915,000 Lockdown Tickets To DriversFrance on target to issue a million tickets to drivers traveling without properly endorsed travel papers.
France continues to use its police force to crack down on motorists during the virus scare. A weekend roadblock was set up to stop everyone traveling on the A9 freeway near Montpellier airport to demand their travel papers, for example. Those traveling without a government-approved purpose -- about a third of whom turned out to be tourists -- were hit with a 135 euro fine (US $145). Those fines have added up, as Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced Thursday that police nationwide had issued 915,000 tickets related to the stay-at-home order imposed on March 17, generating at least 12 million euros (US $13 million) in profit. Officials are planning to relax the lockdown as early as May 11.