France's coronavirus death toll close to 50, new restrictions imposed

France
# 11 March 2020 23:59 (UTC +04:00)

France’s coronavirus death toll rose by almost 50% to 48, French Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Wednesday, adding new restrictions would be implemented to try and contain the outbreak, APA reports quoting Reuters.

Speaking during a news conference in Paris shortly after the World Health Organization called the virus a pandemic for the first time, Veran nonetheless stopped short of raising the emergency response to “Phase 3”, the highest there is.

But he said nurseries and schools would be closed for 15 days in two new areas: Corsica and an urban area around southern town of Montpellier. This type of action is already in force in an area north of Paris and in another in northeastern France.

Veran said the government had decided, for several weeks starting today, to ban visits to all the country’s retirement homes, elderly people being the most exposed to the coronavirus.

The total number of confirmed cases rose to 2,281, Veran said, increase of 497 cases on the tally reported Tuesday at 1800 GMT, when the number of deaths had stood at 33. The minister also said 105 people were in a serious condition.

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