As coronavirus spreads, France bans large public gatherings nationwide

Catherine Garcia, The Week US's avatar
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Olivier Véran.
(Image credit: Pascal Rossignol/AFP via Getty Images)

With 1,126 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in France, the government has now banned public gatherings of more than 1,000 people.

"The priority is to do all we can to slow the transmission of the virus," Health Minister Olivier Véran said Sunday. The prohibition does not apply to political demonstrations, public transportation, or school exams, Reuters reports. Last week, the government banned gatherings of more than 5,000 people in coronavirus hotspots, but this new rule affects the entire country.

At least 19 people have died of COVID-19 in France, and the number of confirmed cases rose by 336 from Saturday to Sunday. Four members of France's National Assembly have tested positive for COVID-19 and are now hospitalized.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.