Coronavirus claims 753 lives in France in 24 hours

A woman wearing a protective face mask walks past a closed restaurant in Paris, as a lockdown is imposed to slow the rate of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in France, April 16, 2020. Credit: Reuters File Photo

The coronavirus outbreak has claimed another 753 lives in the last 24 hours in France, bringing the country's total fatalities to 17,920, top French health official Jerome Salomon said Thursday.

But the number of virus patients hospitalised dropped by 474 and the number in critical care declined by 209, the health ministry's number two official said. "The spread of the virus is stabilising at a high level," he added.