UPDATE 1-French daily COVID infections above 200,000 for second day running

The seven-day moving average of daily new infections, which evens out reporting irregularities, reached a record 121,566, a figure multiplied by almost four in just a month. Wearing masks in the streets of Paris and Lyon will be mandatory again as authorities seek to avoid a New Year's Eve infection spike.

France reported 206,243 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period on Thursday, rising above 200,000 for the second day running as the Omicron variant takes hold.

A record of 208,099 was set on Wednesday, as Health Minister Oliver Veran warned of a "tsunami" of infections. The seven-day moving average of daily new infections, which evens out reporting irregularities, reached a record 121,566, a figure multiplied by almost four in just a month.

Wearing masks in the streets of Paris and Lyon will be mandatory again as authorities seek to avoid a New Year's Eve infection spike. The total number of people hospitalised for COVID-19 has increased by 465 over 24 hours, standing at a more than seven-month peak of 18,321.

But that figure is still almost half the record 33,497 reached in November 2020. The COVID-19 death toll increased by 180 over 24 hours to 123,552. The seven-day moving average of daily deaths also stood at 180.