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Paris police 'broke Covid curfew' at Macarena party

Police in Paris ensure shops close at 6pm as France begins a new curfew to tackle Covid-19

Officials in France are investigating a group of officers filmed dancing the Macarena inside a Paris police station while the country is under Covid-19 curfew rules.

Videos of the party appear to show police dancing and singing without masks late into the night in Aubervilliers suburb.

The officers are facing sanctions, police authorities have said.

France is under a night-time nationwide curfew to curb coronavirus infections.

Police are out in force on the streets to enforce the restrictions which ban social gatherings after 18:00.

Anyone outside their home at night or early morning must give a reasonable excuse such as travelling to work.

The video, which was published by website Loopsider, appears to show officers performing the Macarena in close proximity to each other, taking selfies and enjoying refreshments.

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Loopsider said the party took place on 22 January to say goodbye to a colleague.

The police prefecture tweeted a statement confirming that the party took place without social distancing.

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"A leaving party was organised at the Aubervilliers police station during curfew and without respect for social distancing measures. An investigation is under way and sanctions will taken against the participants," it said.

Masks and social distancing are normally required in the police station and the number of people allowed in a room at the same time is limited, a spokesperson said.

On Wednesday France reported its biggest one-day jump in cases since mid-November, with a further 27,000 infections.

The country's health minister Olivier Veran said on Thursday that the curfew measures were "probably insufficient" to curb the growing circulation of new variants of Covid-19.