France records deadliest day from coronavirus

French hospitals recorded their highest death toll in 24 hours from coronavirus on Friday, with 588 new fatalities, France24 reported.

France’s Director General of Health, Jérôme Salomon, announced the figures during a daily press conference, saying a total of 5,091 people had died in French hospitals since the start of the crisis.

Giving a separate tally for nursing homes, Salomon said that a provisional count showed that at least 1,416 people had died at care homes for the elderly after contracting the virus.

This brings the total number of deaths in France from the virus so far to 6,507.

Salomon said that the number of known infections rose nationwide to 64,338 from 59,105 on Thursday. The number of patients requiring life support rose to 6,662 from 6,399.

In a televised interview on Thursday night, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe urged citizens to respect the lockdown measures imposed since March 17, to ensure a levelling off of new cases of the virus.

“This is the only way for the health service to overcome the peak” of the virus, he said, according to France24.

Philippe further said that the nationwide lockdown “would probably be extended” beyond the current deadline of April 15.

With the traditional spring break approaching, Philippe warned against considering holidays away, saying there would be checks and fines for those who violated the rules.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)