France daily coronavirus deaths rise to 437: official

France on Monday reported 437 new deaths from COVID-19 in hospitals and nursing homes over the last 24 hours, marking a rise after lower daily figures in the last days.

The latest deaths brought the total toll from the epidemic in the country to 23,293, the health ministry said in a statement. The day earlier, a far lower figure of 242 people were confirmed to have died.

The latest figures were released as Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is due on Tuesday to reveal how France is to emerge from its anti-virus lockdown on May 11.

Schools are expected to gradually reopen in a controversial move but cafes and restaurants will stay shut for now.

In a continuation of the more positive trends seen over the last weeks, the number of coronavirus patients in intensive care in France fell by 74 to 4,608 while the numbers in hospital fell by 162 patients to 28,055, the ministry said.

© 2020 AFP