A curfew is to be imposed in parts of central Paris and several towns following unrest, theft and looting in France last weekend.
Paris police said the curfew would run nightly from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am at Place de la République and the Les Halles shopping district, where protesters gathered over the weekend. Unauthorised gatherings have also been banned in some other parts of central Paris.
Measures are also to be introduced to restrict young people from going out and to control gatherings in Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Lyon, as well as the northern city of Lille and other towns.
The measures come amid strong criticism from opposition political groups over the level of preparedness for the unrest. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has also acknowledged that police were overwhelmed in some towns.
Announcing the decision to impose a curfew, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu also indicated that declaring a state of emergency in the country could be appropriate.
He said the government would allocate funds to restore areas damaged during the protests and recover the money from those responsible for the unrest. A team of 200 investigators was reviewing and analysing CCTV footage to identify those who played leading roles, he said.
He also announced a partial unemployment fund for people unable to go to work because of the unrest and theft.
The protests in France began when students took to the streets to call for better conditions in schools. However, the demonstrations intensified over rising fuel prices, higher living costs and declining standards in public services, including schools.
Around 550,000 people took to the streets to protest last weekend, with labour unions and various protest groups also taking part.
Officials said more than 2,500 people had been arrested during the protests. According to the AFP news agency, a protester lost a hand when a crowd-control grenade used by police exploded. Around 1,000 police officers also suffered injuries of varying severity.
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