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The number of new daily coronavirus infections in France has exceeded 30,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
There were a total of 30,621 new COVID-19 infections reported Thursday, a substantial increase from the 22,591 cases seen Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the number of people in France who have died with coronavirus it increased by 88 to a total of 33,125, compared with 104 on Wednesday.
The country also has 1,750 patients in intensive care units, an increase of 77 in 24 hours.
It comes after France declared a state of emergency, with President Emmanuel Macron announcing a curfew between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. for the areas hardest hit by the coronavirus.
Ile-de-France and eight metropolitan areas, including Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Saint Etienne and Toulouse, will face curfews for four weeks, starting Saturday.
During curfew hours, people will not be allowed to go to restaurants or visit friends, but there will be no restrictions on public transportation or people traveling within the regions.
Anyone out during the curfew must have a good reason, the president said.
Following the announcement of the curfew, France’s finance minister said that state-guaranteed loans already in place to help the hotel industry during the pandemic will run for six months until June 2021.
During curfew hours people will not be allowed to go to restaurants
Meanwhile, the home and office of Health Minister Olivier Veran have been wanted by the police, as part of an investigation into the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Agents also searched the homes of former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and former Health Minister Agnes Buzyn, as well as other senior officials.
The investigation has been ordered by a special court in France.
Patients, prison staff and police officers have filed 90 complaints in recent months, largely due to a shortage of masks and other equipment and the speed with which large-scale testing was implemented.
