France: Health minister warns circulation of coronavirus is 'increasing'

French Health Minister Olivier Veran on July 20 warned citizens about the increasing cases of coronavirus in the country. France's health ministry on Monday said that clusters in the country are being increasingly reported and as a result, more people are being hospitalised which is reflecting on the overall coronavirus infections tally as well. Olivier Veran said that there is a possibility of a resurgence of a national health emergency, but assured the nation that a second wave far from reality. 

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'Worrying sign'

According to reports, there have been 400 to 500 new clusters of coronavirus cases across the country, including the district of Mayenne. Olivier said that it is a worrying sign for the country as the epidemic could re-emerge again. The minister further added that the infection rate in France is likely to increase as the reproduction rate of the virus is more than one. The country had seen a decline in both infection and mortality rate following months of precautionary measures that included lockdown and social distancing. Amid increasing cases, France has made the wearing of face mask mandatory in indoor spaces as well. Before it was only required in public places, such as museums, cinemas, places of worship, public transport, etc. 

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According to figures by France's health ministry, there are a total of 1,74,674 confirmed cases in the country, of which more than 30,000 people have lost their lives. Currently, there are 6,688 patients under hospital care with 477 patients in ICU. Meanwhile, the world has logged in over 14.7 million infections and nearly 6,10,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States remains the worst-hit nation in the world with more than 3.8 million cases and 1,40,000 deaths. 

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