Jérôme Salomon announced that 830 new cases of patients infected with the new coronavirus had been detected in France, for a total of 4,500 since the start of the epidemic which has so far killed 91 people in the country.
In this context, France has passed to "stage 3" of the epidemic, meaning that the virus now circulates throughout the territory. The Director of Health appealed to the responsibility of the French in order to comply with the instructions issued by the government.
A few minutes earlier, Edouard Philippe announced the closure at midnight and "until further notice" of all "places receiving the public not essential to the life of the country", calling on the French to "more discipline" in the face of coronavirus pandemic.
Restaurants, bars, nightclubs, cinemas are expected to close. Shops are also affected, with the exception of food stores, pharmacies, banks, tobacconists and petrol stations.
The first round of municipal elections is meanwhile maintained "as planned" this Sunday.