French security forces have begun a phased closure of central Paris in preparation for the highly complex opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, which will take place on July 26 along the Seine.
It comes a day after police in eastern France announced they had arrested a far-right extremist on suspicion of plotting attacks during the Games.
Since 5 o'clock this morning, the central districts along the river have been closed to almost all cars, a zone of 6 kilometers in length. Anyone who wants to enter this area, whether they live there or are tourists, will need to have a pass in the form of a QR code. A large part of the metro stations in the central part will also be closed from today, and they will not be opened until the day after the opening of the Olympics.
In the unique opening ceremony, between 6 and 7 thousand athletes will take part in a parade that will take place on hundreds of boats along the Seine. About half a million people are expected to watch the ceremony live along the banks of the river. About 45,000 law enforcement officers will be deployed for the ceremony, and tens of thousands of metal turnstiles have been installed in the region. | BGNES
