French minister warns worsening epidemical situation

PARIS, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The epidemical situation in France is worsening, French Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Tuesday.

This "continues to mark an increase in the spread of the virus on national territory, with an average number of infections per day which exceeds 30,000," he told the National Assembly.

France on Tuesday reported 47,177 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 7,675,504.

Government spokesperson Gabriel Attal said Tuesday that a case of the new Omicron variant had been detected in La Reunion, an overseas territory of France in the Indian Ocean.

The French Health Ministry on Sunday reported eight suspected cases of the Omicron variant among passengers who had visited Africa in the last 14 days.

As a preventive measure, France and several other European Union countries have decided to suspend flights from seven Southern African countries.