PARIS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Cinemas, theatres, restaurants and bars in France will not reopen in January as planned due to the high rate of infections and the risk of the more infectious new variants of the coronavirus recently detected in the United Kingdom and South Africa, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday.

"The situation is far from being back to normal. The level of contamination remains high and has tended to increase since mid-December," Castex warned at a weekly press conference on the epidemic.

An average of 15,000 infections are reported per day versus 10,000 recorded early in December. One in two intensive care beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients and non-essential surgical operations are still being postponed to alleviate pressure on hospitals.

Also at the press conference, Health Minister Olivier Veran confirmed that 19 infections with the coronavirus variant first reported in the UK have been detected so far in France, including two cases identified in worrying clusters in Ile-de France and Brittany. He also confirmed three cases of the new COVID-19 strain first found in South Africa.

"We want to avoid at all cost the spread of the variants in France. We are taking the threat of these two variants very seriously and we'll take all necessary measures," Veran said.

The minister added all the country's laboratories had been mobilized to track the new variants of the COVID-19.

"Facing this difficult situation, it is out of the question that we lower our guard in the coming weeks," Castex said.

In this context, museums, cinemas and music halls, initially scheduled to re-open on Jan. 7, would remain closed until the end of January.

Forced to shut down when the country entered into its second lockdown on Oct. 30, restaurants, bars and cafes are not allowed to resume activities until mid-February at the earliest, Castex announced.

Another 10 departments in eastern France would be placed under earlier night-time curfew starting at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. in force in other parts of the country. The government has already implemented the same rule in 15 departments, mostly in the northeast and southeast, worst hit by the virus.

"We must not only maintain the measures put in place to curb the virus, but be prepared to reinforce them," Castex said.

He noted that "a new phase in the fight against the virus has begun" after the country launched its vaccination campaign on Dec. 27.

So far, 45,000 people have been inoculated, according to the prime minister who upheld the target of 1 million vaccinated elderly people and staff in nursing homes by the end of this month.

Starting from February, caregivers who are in their 40s and citizens aged 65 years and over will have their jabs. A broader vaccination aimed at the general public is planned for the spring.

The second shot of the vaccine could be delayed to six weeks after the first instead of three as had been initially planned, the minister said.

"The vaccine is safe. Serious side effects are rare," said Veran in response to scepticism over the vaccine.

According to an Elabe survey released on Wednesday, 45 percent of the French people refused to be inoculated, with 75 percent of 1,002 respondents disapproving the government vaccination programme.

France on Thursday confirmed 21,703 new infections with the coronavirus. The country's cumulative number of cases is now at 2,727,321, including 66,841 deaths, up by 277 in a single day.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in some countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 235 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 63 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization on Wednesday. Enditem

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