France's Health Minister Olivier Veran on Thursday announced ban on outdoor gatherings of more than six people. He said that 45,000 new coronavirus cases were detected in previous 24 hours.
Meanwhile, 3 additional French regions including the Rhone department around Lyon will be put under tightened COVID-19 restrictions for four weeks from Friday (March 26). This follows after similar measure in Paris region a week earlier.
Veran said that pressure on the hospital system will continue to increase in coming days.
New restrictions come on top of nationwide curbs. A nightly curfew is in place and restaurants, bars, museums and cinemas are closed across the country.
(With Reuters inputs)