French new coronavirus cases above 3,000 for second day

[PARIS] France's health ministry on Sunday reported 3,015 new coronavirus infections over the last 24 hours, the second day in a row in which new cases have surpassed the 3,000 mark.

However, the daily count was below the 3,310 cases reported on Saturday that marked a post-lockdown high, the ministry's data showed.

A sharp rise in cases in France has led the authorities in the country's two biggest cities, Paris and Marseille, to expand zones where wearing a mask is mandatory outdoors, while the government is set to propose masks be worn in shared indoor workspaces.

The resurgence also prompted Britain to impose a 14-day quarantine for people arriving from France as of Saturday.

The number of coronavirus clusters being investigated in France had increased to 263, the ministry said in its a website update.

The number of people in hospital was up slightly at 4,860, adding to a rise recorded a day earlier, while the number of intensive care patients was unchanged at 376 after increasing the previous day, the ministry said.

France's cumulative death toll from Covid-19 for hospitals and nursing homes had risen by one to 30,410, it said.

REUTERS