PARIS, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Mask wearing would be mandatory in southern France's Pyrenees-Orientales near the Spanish border in a move to halt alarming rise in coronavirus infections linked to the highly infectious Delta variant, regional authorities announced on Friday.

Following the worrying spread in the viral circulation, Etienne Stoskopf, prefect of the region, ordered citizens to wear a mask in all public places, except the beach and large natural spaces.

Consumption of alcoholic beverages will be banned outdoors to further reinforce preventive measures against the coronavirus, he said in a statement.

The mandate will go into effect on Saturday at 0600 local time (0400 GMT) and last till Aug. 2. Other measures would depend on the evolution of health indicators and the situation in hospitals, he added.

In Pyrenees-Orientales, the COVID-19 incidence rate stood at 210 cases per 100,000 inhabitants with the number of cases quadrupled in a week, official data showed.

The Delta variant, believed to be around 60 percent more transmissible, has become the dominant strain of the virus in France, forcing President Emmanuel Macron to make vaccination compulsory for health workers and expand the use of health pass in establishments including indoor spaces in bars, cinemas, theaters, hospitals, shopping centers and amusement parks.

On Thursday, France logged 3,617 new COVID-19 cases, taking its cumulative number of infections to 5.83 million. Some 111,429 patients have succumbed to the illness, according to data from health authorities. Enditem

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