Links

There are now 24,639 people hospitalised in France with Covid-19, with 6,017 of them in intensive care, the country's Health Agency Director Jérôme Salomon told reporters.

He was president between 2005 and 2009 when Marseille finished second in Ligue 1 twice and reached two French Cup finals.

Sébastien Chadaud-Pétronin said he was relieved to know his mother Sophie Pétronin, abducted in 2016, was alive, but said he felt there was no way to get her 'out of this hell'.

There are now 22,757 people hospitalised in France with COVID-19, with 5,565 of them in intensive care

Consortium led by Air Liquide will help boost production of critical medical kit as President Emmanuel Macron promises to ramp up production of critical medical equipment to treat coronavirus.

Gender equality minister Marlène Schiappa also said about 20 centres would open in stores around the country so women could drop in for help while getting groceries.

Health agency director Jérôme Salomon told a news conference that the number of cases had risen to 44,550, a rise of 11% in 24 hours.

European affairs minister Amelie de Montchalin told France Inter radio that if Europe was just a single market when times were good, then it made no sense.

France's director general of health Jérôme Salomon also said the number of known cases of coronavirus infection rose to 40,174 on Sunday from 37,575 a day earlier.

The 75-year-old politician, who had served under President Nicolas Sarkozy,  had been placed under observation in a hospital last Wednesday.