French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for citizens to restrict themselves from taking unnecessary trips outside of their homes for at least two weeks. 

“We must all limit the number of people with who we’re in contact with every single day. Scientists say so, that’s the absolute priority,” Macron said, according to a Sky News translation of the televised address. 

Adresse aux Français. https://t.co/V0kwXbU79J

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 16, 2020

The new measures will go into effect noon Tuesday and last for at least two weeks. 

“We’re at war,” Macron reportedly said.

The limited traffic means people should not gather to meet friends or family, he said. 

Citizens can leave for necessary trips, such as doing shopping in a “disciplined fashion,” including keeping a distance of at least one meter between them and not shaking hands. 

France has more than 5,300 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. 

Globally, more than 179,000 cases of the virus have been confirmed, according to Johns Hopkins’ data.