France reported more than 125 000 new coronavirus infections on Friday.

France reported more than 125 000 new coronavirus infections on Friday, pushing the seven-day moving average of new infections to 99 316, the highest level since 19 April.

After falling from a high of over 140 000 a day at the start of April, average daily new infections fell below 18 000 a day end May.

But with mask wearing no longer mandatory in most places except in hospitals and a sharp increase in international travel, the trend turned again in June and authorities have said France is now in a seventh wave of the epidemic.

The number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care rose by 29 to 960 on Friday, but remained well below levels of over 3 000 seen at the start of the year. The number of average new Covid-19 deaths has been stable at around 40 per day for about three weeks.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne this week encouraged social distancing and asked citizens to start wearing masks again in confined spaces, especially on public transport, but did not speak of making mask wearing mandatory again.

Masks were mandatory on public transport until mid May.

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