For the second day in a row, France's health authorities on Friday reported a daily increase of over 40,000 coronavirus cases and the deaths of 897 people, including 594 in retirement homes, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
In the past 24 hours, 41,869 new infections were confirmed, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 4,465,956, second only to the United Kingdom in Europe.
Since January 2020, a total of 94,275 people have lost their lives to the respiratory disease in France.
The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 stood at 27,242 on Friday, with 206 new admissions reported in the past 24 hours. This included 4,766 serious cases who needed life support -- 57 more than a day earlier.
Three more French departments -- Rhone, Aube and Nievre -- have been added to the list of 16 high-alert zones, where non-essential shops are closed, working from home is recommended, travel to other regions is banned and outdoor gatherings are limited to six people.
People who want to leave their home beyond a 30-kilometer radius must sign a document, and health protocols are reinforced in schools that remain open.
Early on Friday, Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer said that starting next week, all classes will be closed for two to three weeks where a case of contamination is detected among students in the departments placed under tightened rules. Previously, three COVID-19 cases triggered class closure.
"This will necessarily mean more class closures in the coming days in the zones concerned," he said.
The number of students infected with the novel coronavirus has increased in one week from more than 15,000 to over 21,000, a rate of 0.17 percent against 0.13 percent a week ago, according to the Ministry of Education.
At present, 3,256 classes out of 528,400 across the country, against 2,018 a week ago, are closed. Of the total 61,500 educational establishments, 148 are closed, up from 80 a week ago.
"The coming weeks will be difficult," warned President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday night.
"We will take all the necessary measures in due course," he told reporters on Thursday.
As of Friday, 7,519,740 people in France -- or 14.3 percent of the adult population -- had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, and 2,653,261 people -- 5.1 percent of the adult population -- both doses, the Health Ministry said.
The government plans to inoculate ten million citizens by mid-April, 20 million by mid-May and 30 million, or two-thirds of the adult population, by mid-June.