Coronavirus cases top 10,000 in France

France has confirmed 10,995 cases of coronavirus infection, with 4,761 people being in hospital and 372 deaths, Director-General of Health Jerome Salomon said on Thursday.

A total of 108 patients lost their lives in the past 24 hours, said Salomon, adding 1,122 patients are currently in intensive care while 1,300 have recovered.

"Infection cases double every four days. The virus is spreading rapidly and intensely," said Salomon at the daily briefing. As in past days, he urged the French people to strictly respect the confinement order and cut contacts with others to minimum to curb the spread of the virus.

"The more we respect the rules, the more we can contain the outbreak," he added. "It is really a collective fight."

France was in its third day of national lockdown on Thursday. Earlier in the day, President Emmanuel Macron deplored that "too many" people "take lightly" the confinement rules that came into effect on Tuesday at midday.

"When I see that people continue to go to the park, to the beach or in the open markets, it means they did not understand the messages passed by the authorities," said Macron on the sidelines of a visit to the Institut Pasteur in Paris.

Local authorities on Thursday issued orders banning access to beaches throughout the Mediterranean arc, Corsica and many departments of the Atlantic coast.