By Cindi Cook
PARIS (AA) - France on Tuesday recorded a milestone in deaths from coronavirus as the fatalities passed the 10,000 mark.
The death toll climbed to 10,328, with daily rise of 1,427, Health Minister Jerome Salomon told a news conference. He said 802 of the deaths happened in the nursing homes.
The toll has racked up a total of 7,091 in hospitals and 3,237 in nursing homes.
More than 109,000 cases of infection have been reported in France since the start of the outbreak, according to Salomon. Over 57,000 of those are currently in the hospital, with 7,131 being treated in intensive care. A total of 19,337 people have recovered from the disease and returned home.
In a morning broadcast on FranceRadio, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and prefect of police Didier Lallement issued a decree on Tuesday to ban all exercise, including jogging, between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. (0800-1700GMT) starting Wednesday. Violators will be fined €135 ($147) for doing so.
Despite three weeks of lockdown, which is set to end on April 15 but may be extended until end of the month, the French do not find themselves depressed, according to a survey issued on Tuesday by Odoxa-CGI.
It found that most people are enjoying confinement with family. Those who are telecommuting comprise 24%, and those no longer working 51%.
Some 75% of people surveyed between March 25 and 31 report no feelings of depression and 57% do not feel anxious or stressed. The activities carried out by the French during confinement: exchanges with loved ones (38%), cooking (29%), DIY and gardening (28%), reading (19%), music (18%), and sports (14%).
Worldwide, there are now 1,4 million cases of coronavirus with over 80,000 reported deaths. Almost 298,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus since the start of record-keeping for the outbreak, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.
Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover in due time.