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The coronavirus death toll in France topped 25,000 on Monday following a new jump in the daily death toll from the disease.
France's health ministry said 25,201 people were now confirmed to have died from the virus in the country in hospitals and nursing homes. Over the last 24 hours, 306 people died from Covid-19, double the figure of 135 from the day earlier.
According to the latest figures, the more positive recent trends continued, with 123 fewer patients suffering from the coronavirus in intensive care to make a total of 3,696 receiving such urgent treatment.
Nationwide, there were also 267 fewer patients in hospital for coronavirus treatment, making a total of 25,548, the ministry said.
France set to ease restrictions
The spike in the daily death toll came as French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe on Monday stood by a plan to begin easing the country's lockdown May 11 despite concerns the government is moving too fast to reopen schools as well as doubts over the availability of face masks.
On Sunday, more than 300 mayors from the greater Paris region, including Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, penned an open letter to President Emmanuel Macron urging him to delay school returns, saying they need more time for the vast reorganisation of classrooms and daily routines.
Among the myriad new measures is a limit of just 15 students per class, which could require teachers to ensure distance learning for those unable to come to school.
Officials in other regions -- in particular the hard-hit northeastern quarter of France -- have also said they will not open up schools next week.
But Philippe said the school closures had been a "catastrophe for the most vulnerable children and adolescents", adding that academic failure and dropouts risked becoming a "time bomb".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
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