PARIS, May 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Figures released by the French Health Ministry showed that, COVID-19-linked fatalities in the country rose by 135 to 24,895, representing the lowest daily toll since Mar 22.
Among the 25,815 hospitalised patients, 3,819 were in intensive care units (ICU’s), down from 3,827 on Saturday, confirming a continued slowdown for the third running week.
A total of 131,287 people tested positive for the virus since the start of the epidemic. That was up from 130,979 cases confirmed on Saturday.
France entered a lock-down in mid-Mar. Now, it’s planning to lift the two-month confinement by opening gradually schools and shops, and unwinding restriction on people movement, as a slowing-down spread of the virus put less pressure on hospitals in the last three weeks.
Meanwhile, the government decided to extend the state of health emergency it declared on Mar 24, by another two months, to stem the virus outbreak and address a possible resurgence of the COVID-19, when the lock-down ends on May 11.– NNN-AGENCIES
