France has banned any public event in a 'confined space' with over 5,000 people as the coronavirus spreads through the country

Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

A woman wears a protective mask in light of the coronavirus outbreak in China as she walks at the Trocadero esplanade in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, February 1, 2020.

• France has banned any public event with more than 5,000 people that is held in a "confined space" due to the coronavirus, Reuters reported.
• The ban comes as the country has confirmed 73 cases of the virus, according to Reuters' report.
• There were over 83,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus worldwide, as of Friday, and almost 2,900 deaths from it.
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French health minister Olivier Veran announced on Saturday that the country is banning any public event with more than 5,000 people that is held in a "confined space" due to the coronavirus, Reuters reported.

Veran said there are now 73 people in France who have been confirmed to have the virus, according to Reuter's report. Last week, a 60-year-old French citizen became the first person in the country to die from the coronavirus.

The event ban is just the latest step France has taken in its effort to contain the virus, after the French government suggested people stop shaking hands.

As of Friday, there were over 83,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and almost 2,900 deaths from it. Around 95% of coronavirus cases have come in China, though the virus has made its way to 55 other countries, including the US, where there have been 60 confirmed cases.

The coronavirus causes the COVID-19 disease, whose symptoms often include a cough, fever, or shortness of breath. As of February 11, a little over 80% of coronavirus cases in China have been considered mild, according to a study from the Chinese Center for Disease Control.

Read Reuters' full report here.

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• Several young doctors in China have died of the coronavirus. Medical workers are far more vulnerable to infection than the general population.