Parc des Buttes Chaumont in Paris, in 2013, illustration. - FRED DUFOUR / AFP

The government this Sunday urged the French to comply with the instructions to curb the spread of the coronavirus after an unprecedented increase in deaths and contamination in the country, where most public places were closed and the ballot boxes were shunned in the first round of municipal elections.

According to a statement published Sunday evening by the national public health agency, Santé Publique France, the balance sheet of the epidemic climbed Sunday to 127 dead and 5,423 confirmed cases, or 36 dead and more than 900 additional cases in 24 hours. More than 400 people are hospitalized in serious condition.

#Coronavirus # COVID19 | Update on March 15:
◾5,423 confirmed cases
◾More than 400 serious cases hospitalized
◾127 people died

🗞 Press release: #Stay to stop the spread of the epidemic: https://t.co/r0HkIAxD92

- Ministry of Solidarity and Health (@MinSoliSante) March 15, 2020

Serious forms also "in adults without previous pathologies"

"Severe forms are reported in the elderly or frail but also in adults without previous pathologies," warns the Directorate General of Health. This is the largest daily increase in cases and deaths since the appearance of the virus in France, which officially entered Saturday in stage 3 of the epidemic.

The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, called on the entire population to become aware of the gravity of the situation and to limit social interactions, while many French people took advantage of the spring sun on Sunday to crowd the parks and public gardens.

Bordeaux in # stade3, really? #coronavirus (Cc @ PaulineBoyer33) pic.twitter.com/Un8njLh5H6

- Marion Pignot (@ pignot1) March 15, 2020

6.15 p.m., Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in Paris. High attendance.

Going out to closed cafes is replaced by moments with friends or family in the parks. #COVID ー 19 #CoronavirusFrance pic.twitter.com/sSIk5ZjwuO

- Remy Buisine (@RemyBuisine) March 15, 2020

"We are all actors in health, the decisions we make on a daily basis, the outing that we are going to cancel, the family evening or the family meal that we are not going to do: all this is crucial to protect the health of French. The virus is invisible, it circulates quickly and it threatens people's lives. I urge the French to respect the social restriction measures, "he said on France 2.

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  • Health
  • Olivier Véran
  • Coronavirus