Policemen check cars on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris, France, March 17, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]
Cases of the novel coronavirus infection in France surpassed 200,000 on Monday, with 4,854 new infections confirmed over the last three days.
The total of confirmed cases rose to 202,775 and 332 clusters are still active, according to the latest data released by the Health Ministry.
Compared to the data from Friday, the number of people in intensive care went up by 13 to 396. Hospitalization increased by 34 to 5,045, breaking a long-running decline.
In total, 30,340 people have lost their lives to the virus, up by 16 from Friday.
"The virus' circulation is intensifying, especially among young people and in certain regions, in the metropolitan areas of Paris and Marseille," the ministry warned.
It stressed that adolescents and young adults, less at risk of developing a severe form of the disease, can infect vulnerable people for whom the consequences can be serious.
The ministry urged people to use the contact-tracing app "StopCOVID," respect all barrier gestures, get tested rapidly even with mild symptoms and put themselves into isolation if tested positive.
