Chaotic scenes as people seen fleeing Paris ahead of second lockdown

Emily might be the only one left in Paris.

When lockdown was first announced here in Ireland, many people who had family down the country left Dublin. Some because they didn't want to be locked down away from family, others so they could have more space or be closer to the beach. Parisian residents seemed to have had the same idea recently, as many fled the city to avoid another lockdown. And it looked like total mayhem.

Heavy traffic in Paris on the night that France heads into its second national lockdown. https://t.co/pI3IoOnCPT pic.twitter.com/cASEqmR5mt

— ABC News (@ABC) October 29, 2020

According to BBC News, jams stretched to a cumulative 430 miles (700 km) in the Ile-de-France region last week just before the country's second lockdown. A state of emergency was called in France earlier in October with Paris and eight other cities hit with strict curfews. Many Paris residents have taken to social media over the last couple of weeks sharing videos of people fleeing from police after being caught outside after 9pm. Many Parisians also stated that their mental health was badly effected by the first lockdown, and that they would rather be in another part of France than spend a second lockdown in the capital city.