Some patients in the heavily affected northern region of Hauts-de-France will moved to Germany as well as other parts of France, said Frederic Valletoux, president of the FHF hospitals federation.

The move comes as the government appeared to consider re-imposing a night curfew in Paris, in addition to the current confinement measures, to make it harder to skirt lockdown rules.

The capital and its suburbs have been hit hard by spiralling coronavirus cases, with hospitals filling up fast.

“Some regions are feeling enormous pressure,” Valletoux told reporters.

Patient transfers from the Hauts-de-France region to Germany were planned within the coming 10 days, when intensive care units in France are expected to reach saturation point, he said.

Some patients had already been transferred to other hospitals in France, especially Brittany where Covid cases are relatively rare, he said.

During the height of the first wave of cases in March and April, France had to send dozens of patients to Germany as well as Austria, Luxembourg and Switzerland, as well as transferring patients to less badly affected regions of France in specially adapted trains.