France: Sigh of relief as COVID-19 curve flattens

PARIS. KAZINFORM - After the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic followed by a fresh lockdown, the French are looking ahead for better days, starting with easing restrictions from Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports.

The pandemic curve fell flat on Friday, as a drop was reported in new cases.

Addressing a press conference, Prime Minister Jean Castex put the French at ease saying that restrictions would be lifted from Tuesday. But he said that night curfew, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., would remain in force.

France has been under its second lockdown since Oct. 30.

Infections dropped on Friday to 13,406 from earlier 13,750, a dip of 344 cases. The country has so far reported 2.3 million infections since record-keeping began in March, according to France's Health Ministry.

The country also reported 306 deaths taking the total COVID-19 related official deaths to 57,567.

Hospitalizations fell, to 8,435 on Friday from 8,503 on the previous day, a drop by 68 patients. A total of 1,138 people are being attended in the intensive care units, down by 20 patients over Thursday.

The positivity rate in France dropped by one-tenth of a point, to 6.3. %

Across the globe death toll from COVID-19 stands at nearly 1.6 million in 191 countries since the virus emanated from China in late December 2019.

As many as 70 million people have reported infection, according to the latest figures from US-based Johns Hopkins University.