French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said he instructed localized and "very limited" curfews in some areas after serious riots during protests in France, suggesting he had instructed prefects to impose them as soon as Monday evening.
Lecornu said the curfews would be "partial" and "very locally limited" in scope, following a crisis meeting of the government.
An overview of the decisions taken by local authorities would be published during the afternoon, he said. Prefects are the highest representatives of the French central state in the regions.
At the weekend, nationwide protests against high living costs in France were accompanied by riots and looting. The situation remained tense as the new week started, including in Paris.
The prime minister said that the "chaos" was limited to city centers and that the situation was "geographically very uneven."
"One of the aims of this curfew is the protection of people, but also of property, in particular shops," Lecornu said.
He said authorities were dealing with a specific form of criminal activity involving looting and the resale of stolen goods.
Lecornu did not rule out declaring a state of emergency but said such a serious measure was not appropriate at this stage, with targeted curfews better suited to the situation.
The instructions come as Interior Minister Laurent Nunez offered his resignation Sunday, but President Emmanuel Macron refused it "given the need for continued command of law enforcement in the current context," Macron's office said in a statement Monday.
He instructed Nunez "to take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence," the statement said.
Macron also asked for the introduction of "new policing tactics on the ground as quickly as possible" to put an end to violent events.
More protests on sight
Meanwhile, France's "Yellow Vest" protest movement has announced further demonstrations for Saturday, Oct. 24.
Organizers of last weekend's rallies said on their website that a "second act" of the protests would take place in dozens of locations across the country.
The Yellow Vest movement, which takes its name from the high-visibility vests worn by demonstrators, staged months of protests against the high cost of living and social inequality from November 2018 into early 2019.
Calls to revive the movement emerged ahead of last weekend's demonstrations, which also drawing in Yellow Vest protesters.
The world-famous Louvre art museum in Paris did not open as usual at the start of the week due to the student protest movement, the museum said on its website and on social media on Monday morning.
The museum apologized for "the inconvenience caused."
French media reported that students blocked access to the museum to support the school protests that have been taking place for weeks and to denounce alleged police violence.
The French CGT union, which is not taking part in the action but supports it, originally said the museum should remain closed until at least midday, but the Louvre issued an update later to say it would remain closed all day.
Pupils have been demonstrating since late September, particularly for better school equipment, more teachers and better learning conditions.
Monday also marks the anniversary of the spectacular break-in at the Louvre, in which French crown jewels worth an estimated 88 million euros ($99 million) was stolen.
Other nations urge caution
Meanwhile, some European governments on Monday advised citizens travelling to France to avoid large crowds and exercise caution, warning of a deterioration in security conditions after thousands were arrested and shops looted in protests over the weekend.
Italy said its citizens should register their presence in France on a website or an app to enable them to be located, as it warned them to avoid large crowds and exercise extreme caution.
The German foreign ministry said further riots in the coming days couldn't be ruled out and urged German nationals to follow instructions from local police. It warned citizens that they could face fines or claims for damages if they failed to leave unauthorised demonstrations when asked to do so.
Czechs in France were also advised to avoid demonstrations, marches and public gatherings, CTK news agency reported. The security situation in France has deteriorated, according to the Czech foreign affairs ministry.
Other countries, including Poland, the Netherlands and Nordic nations, have also issued advisories.