Parisians packed inter-city trains leaving the capital and crammed into shops Friday ahead of new restrictions aimed at stemming a surge of COVID-19 infections.

The new restrictions, announced by Prime Minister Jean Castex late Thursday, apply from Saturday to around a third of the country's population – including Paris among 16 regions.

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The government has insisted the new month-long measures won't be as extensive as the previous two lockdowns in 2020. Schools and hairdressers will stay open and outdoor exercise allowed for an unlimited amount of time.

President Emmanuel Macron even insisted Friday that the word "lockdown" ("confinement" in French) was not appropriate to describe the government's strategy.

"What we want is to put a brake on the virus without shutting ourselves in. This is not being locked down," he said at a meeting at the Elysee Palace.

"Strictly speaking, the term lockdown is not right," he added.

But travel curbs that will ban people from leaving the Paris region encouraged many to flee the city for areas with lighter restrictions, such as Brittany, the southwest Atlantic coast and Lyon in the southeast.