SHARE
COPY LINK

COVID-19

Daily death toll from the coronavirus in France drops below 100 as people enjoy first post-lockdown weekend

France on Saturday reported 96 new coronavirus deaths, a lower figure than in previous days, as its overall death toll from the pandemic reached 27,625.

Daily death toll from the coronavirus in France drops below 100 as people enjoy first post-lockdown weekend
People stroll on Villeneuve-les-Maguelone beach, near Montpellier, southern France, on May 16 2020: Sylvain THOMAS / AFP

Several other recent positive trends continued as well, with 71 fewer people in intensive care, the health ministry said.

The latest figures came as France enjoyed the sixth day of the partial easing of a nationwide lockdown imposed on March 17 to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

On Friday French officials called for self-restraint as the country prepared for its first weekend since the coronavirus lockdown was eased.

They warned that police would break up any large gatherings of people taking too much advantage of newfound freedoms.

People gather on the banks of the river Seine in Paris on Mai 16, 2020, on the first weekend after France eased lockdown measures taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP

Since the lockdown was eased Monday, “the response has globally been positive,” government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye told France 2 television.

“But significant efforts must still be made” ahead of the summer tourism season, she said, when cooped-up families will be looking to escape to countryside retreats or beaches.

At present, there are 19,432 people in hospital for COVID-19 treatment in France, down from 22,614 one week ago, the ministry figures showed.

But the number of admissions within 24 hours released on Saturday came to 350, an increase from the week-earlier number of 265.

Health officials in the central Val de Loire region meanwhile reported an outbreak at an abattoir in which 34 cases of coronavirus had been detected.

Experts were called in on Friday to start testing and were still contacting all the workers to check them. The abattoir itself, at Fleury-les-Aubrais near the city of Orleans, has
been shut down for on-site tests and cleaning.

 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

TRAVEL NEWS

France’s SNCF to offer high-speed passenger links in Italy

French national rail operator SNCF said on Wednesday it planned to offer high-speed passenger services in neighbouring Italy from 2026, competing with rival Trenitalia on its home turf.

France's SNCF to offer high-speed passenger links in Italy

“Italy is a natural market for high speed, with 56 million passengers per year,” said Alain Krakovitch, head of intercity TGV (high-speed train) services at SNCF Voyageurs.

“But it’s a market that’s yet to mature, with many passengers still to bring in.”

SNCF plans eventually to offer nine daily return services between Turin, Milan, Rome and Naples, as well as four Turin-Venice trains.

The French heavyweight moved into Spain with intercity services in 2021, and has seen Trenitalia itself look to pick up business in France on the profitable Paris-Lyon line.

SNCF hopes to claim 15 percent of the Italian high-speed market within a decade, or 10 million passengers per year.

In Spain, it has built its passenger base to 20 percent with its low-cost Ouigo service.

European business already accounts for one-third of SNCF’s annual high-speed revenues, or €3 billion.

The publicly owned firm is also responding to explosive demand for rail travel at home in France.

READ MORE: MAP: Where high-speed trains can take you in France

SHOW COMMENTS