EXCLUSIVE: Justin Bieber fans are threatened with arrest for flouting COVID guidelines after police evacuate mass gathering outside star’s Paris hotel
- The singer had checked into the Mandarin Oriental after flying to the French capital with model wife Hailey Bieber to celebrate his 27th birthday
- But his presence in France generated a stir among fans, with many carelessly flouting social distancing measures to get a glimpse of their idol
- There are currently 113,989,973 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, of which 3,690,421 are based in France alone
- The country has adopted the same stance as Britain regarding mass gatherings, but has so far managed to avoid a third national lockdown
Police were forced into action on Tuesday after dozens of Justin Bieber fans disregarded current health and safety guidelines by gathering outside his Paris hotel.
The Canadian singer had checked into the five-star Mandarin Oriental after flying to the French capital with model wife Hailey Bieber to celebrate his 27th birthday on March 1st.
But his presence in France – where more than 80,000 people have lost their lives to COVID-19 – generated a stir among fans, with many carelessly flouting social distancing measures to get a glimpse of their idol.
Caution to the wind: Police were forced into action on Tuesday after dozens of Justin Bieber fans disregarded current health and safety guidelines by gathering outside his Paris hotel (pictured)
The mass gathering prompted local police to step in, with 40 officers called to disperse a crowd of more than 150 bystanders.
A source told MailOnline: ‘There were a lot of fans waiting in front of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, Justin Bieber’s hotel.
‘The police first secured the area by putting the fans on the sidewalk, but the fans continued to grow in number.
Special day: The Canadian singer had checked into the five-star Mandarin Oriental after flying to the French capital with model wife Hailey Bieber to celebrate his 27th birthday
Rule breakers: But his presence in France generated a stir among fans, with many carelessly flouting social distancing measures to get a glimpse of their idol (pictured: fans gather outside the Mandarin Oriental on Tuesday)
‘The police then asked the fans to evacuate the street within 15 minutes, after that they would arrest the fans for illegal gathering because of the COVID.’
There are currently 113,989,973 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, of which 3,690,421 are based in France alone.
The country has adopted the same zero tolerance stance as Britain regarding mass gatherings, but unlike the UK has so far managed to avoid a third national lockdown.
Disorder: The mass gathering prompted local police to step in, with 40 officers called to disperse a crowd of more than 150 bystanders (pictured outside Bieber’s hotel)
However Euronews reports that Paris could face a three week lockdown in an attempt to curb coronavirus infection across the city following a recent spike in positive results.
While Bieber is in Paris for his birthday, he has also been seen filming a promotional video at the Crillon hotel on the iconic Champs-Élysées.
The singer also fulfilled a work commitment at the city’s flagship Louis Vuitton store, before making his way to the Disney Store.
There he is: While Bieber is in Paris for his birthday, he has also been seen filming a promotional video at the Crillon hotel on the iconic Champs-Élysées (pictured)