France records 1,000 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours
France has recorded more than 1,000 new cases of coronavirus in 24 hours, as health authorities express concern about a number of 'hotspots' of the virus.
Although death rates and the numbers of hospitalised patients remain low, there is concern about the sharp rise in new cases being recorded.
On Thursday night, there were 1,062 new cases of Covid-19 recorded in the previous 24 hours, the latest data from Santé Publique France shows.
This represented a sharp increase on the previous week, where around 500 new cases were being recorded per day.
MAP Which areas of France are 'of concern' to authorities as Covid-19 cases rise?
However overall the death rates remain low, with 14 deaths reported in hospital over the previous 24 hours, while the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care - a key indicator for the progress of the virus - remained steady at 436.
The numbers of the most seriously ill patients have been falling steadily since April 9th, when numbers peaked at 7,148 patients in ICU units around the county.
Many of the new cases are reported in 'hotspots' including south west France, Brittany and Mayenne in the north west.
There are currently 120 active 'clusters' of cases, an increase of 10 in the last 24 hours - a cluster defined as three or more cases diagnosed within the last seven days where the patients have a provable link such as a workplace, family members or an event they have attended.
The French government on Monday made masks compulsory in all indoor public areas, on pain of a €135 fine, and some local authorities have gone further and made them compulsory on the street as well.
READ ALSO These are the towns where masks are compulsory on the street
The French government says it will not return to a nationwide lockdown, but is working on a plan for local lockdowns if cases spike in a particular area.
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Although death rates and the numbers of hospitalised patients remain low, there is concern about the sharp rise in new cases being recorded.
On Thursday night, there were 1,062 new cases of Covid-19 recorded in the previous 24 hours, the latest data from Santé Publique France shows.
This represented a sharp increase on the previous week, where around 500 new cases were being recorded per day.
MAP Which areas of France are 'of concern' to authorities as Covid-19 cases rise?
However overall the death rates remain low, with 14 deaths reported in hospital over the previous 24 hours, while the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care - a key indicator for the progress of the virus - remained steady at 436.
The numbers of the most seriously ill patients have been falling steadily since April 9th, when numbers peaked at 7,148 patients in ICU units around the county.
Many of the new cases are reported in 'hotspots' including south west France, Brittany and Mayenne in the north west.
There are currently 120 active 'clusters' of cases, an increase of 10 in the last 24 hours - a cluster defined as three or more cases diagnosed within the last seven days where the patients have a provable link such as a workplace, family members or an event they have attended.
The French government on Monday made masks compulsory in all indoor public areas, on pain of a €135 fine, and some local authorities have gone further and made them compulsory on the street as well.
READ ALSO These are the towns where masks are compulsory on the street
The French government says it will not return to a nationwide lockdown, but is working on a plan for local lockdowns if cases spike in a particular area.
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