French police have stepped up controls in Paris over the weekend to ensure residents were complying with strict lockdown rules imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19, amid signs that some people were breaching them, Reuters reported.

Under the lockdown, in force since the end of October, people must stay indoors apart from trips to buy food or other essential goods, or for a brief hour of exercise. They must also carry signed documents to justify why they are outside.

Police were checking motorists travelling through the Bois de Boulogne in western Paris to make sure they had the necessary signed documents and were wearing masks, as required by the law.