France reports highest single-day rise in coronavirus cases

Paris, May 29 (AP) France has reported more than 3,000 new daily virus infections in the biggest such one-day rise in more than three weeks - and the first major increase since France started gradually reopening May 11.

The new figure was not included in the government's daily virus press release Thursday night, but was put on a government virus tracking website.

The national public health agency and Health Ministry didn't provide a reason for the rise Friday.

It comes as testing has become more easily available in France, though it is unclear whether that is part of the reason.

The French government has gradually increased the number of tests it is conducting after widespread criticism early in the pandemic that it was not testing widely enough.

Scattered virus outbreaks have been reported since France's reopening began, notably in some schools that were subsequently shut down.

France has reported more than 28,000 virus deaths in hospitals and nursing homes and more than 149,000 people who have tested positive with the virus. (AP) IND IND