France has recorded 12,799 new cases of Covid-19 contamination over the past 24 hours, according to figures released Sunday evening by the health authorities.

On Saturday, the country had recorded 17,565 new positive cases, very far from the target set by the government for mid-December, a few weeks ago.

France has recorded 12,799 new cases of Covid-19 contamination over the past 24 hours, according to figures released Sunday evening by health authorities.

The day before, the country had recorded 17,565 new positive cases, very far from the target set by the government for mid-December, a few weeks ago.

The positivity rate of those tested stood at 5.2%, against 5.6% the day before.

It was 6.4% on December 8, when a new method of accounting for this key indicator was introduced.

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"A high plateau"

The number of patients in intensive care or intensive care units (which welcome the most severely affected patients) was almost stable compared to Saturday, at 2,745, against 2,718 the day before.

Admissions over the last 24 hours were 91 (compared to 123 on Saturday).

In total, hospitals had 24,961 patients with Covid-19, against 24,819 on Saturday.

Admissions over the past 24 hours stood at 599, up from over a thousand (1,004) on Saturday.

In an interview with the Journal du dimanche, epidemiologist Arnaud Fontanet was concerned about the maintenance on a "high plateau" of the number of daily admissions of Covid-19 patients in hospitals. 

"It has stagnated at 1,500 admissions per day for three weeks. On the eve of the holidays, this high plateau does not say anything good", told the weekly published this Sunday the specialist, member of the Scientific Council which advises the government.

Suspension of travel of persons from the United Kingdom

Public Health France announced 131 deaths in the last 24 hours (against 190 on Saturday), bringing the total number of deaths since the start of the epidemic to 60,549.

The French government has also announced the suspension from midnight Sunday and for 48 hours of all travel of people from the United Kingdom, "including related to the transport of goods, by road, air, sea or rail" .

The French decision comes in the wake of similar measures taken by Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany or Ireland, while a variant of the Sars-CoV-2 virus has been detected across the Channel .

This new strain is "out of control", said UK Minister of Health Matt Hancock.