France records more than 7,000 new daily Covid-19 infections as virus resurges
A health worker, wearing a protective suit and a face mask, prepares to administer a nasal swab to a patient at a testing site for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) installed in front of the city hall in Paris, France, September 2, 2020. © Christian Hartmann, Reuters
Friday’s figure had set a new all-time high of daily additional infections for the country. The number of people hospitalised for the disease over the last seven days reached 1,704, of which 288 were in intensive care units.
The number of people in France who have died from Covid-19 increased by 3 to 30,701, and the cumulative number of cases now totals 324,777.
France must stay vigilant as more people will be hospitalised in intensive care units in the next two weeks, reflecting a flare-up in Covid-19 infections in recent days, Health Minister Olivier Véran said on Saturday.
The record figure on Friday came as the French education ministry said 22 schools were closed across France and its overseas territories due to Covid-19 outbreaks, just days after some 12 million children returned to school earlier this week.
The French labour ministry recommends working from home for those who can do so, while Paris and other cities have started requiring face masks in all public areas, including for children above 11.
But residents in some cities have been pushing back, seeking eased mask rules in public, for example at night or in areas where crowds do not generally gather.
On Friday, a court in the southeastern city of Lyon ordered the authorities to soften the rules to take “local circumstances” into account, though for now the strict requirement remains in effect.
In France, anyone can access a Covid-19 test for free and usually without an appointment. However testing sites in Paris have been dogged with long waiting times this week, with holidaymakers returning home after summer vacations in July and August.
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(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS and AFP)