Coronavirus cases are surging across Europe as colder weather forces people indoors, with an exponential spread of COVID-19 prompting new lockdowns across parts of the continent. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a four-week nightly curfew for Paris and eight other French cities beginning Saturday, as hospitalizations in France surged to an all-time high. Germany reported nearly 7,000 new coronavirus cases Thursday — its highest daily rate since the early days of the pandemic. Chancellor Angela Merkel met Wednesday with the governors of Germany’s 16 states to plan new social distancing guidelines and mask-wearing rules. Disease modelers say that if 95% of Europeans immediately begin wearing masks while in public, Europe could avoid more than 280,000 deaths by February.