France Hits New Wave Of COVID-19, Reports 124,724 Cases In Last 24 Hours, Expert: Peak End Of July

JAKARTA - A new wave of COVID-19 infections in France triggered by an emerging variant of the disease will peak towards the end of July, the French government's top scientific adviser Jean-Francois Delfraissy said on Thursday.

"The peak is not yet here, the peak of this infection may be at the end of July", Delfraissy told RTL radio, reported Reuters on June 30.

"Then the BA.5 variant will reappear if it is not overtaken by another variant in the fall", he added.

France reported 124,724 new Coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, compared to 77,967 a week ago.

Earlier this week the French government also recommended that people should start wearing face masks again in crowded places, especially on public transport, to counter the latest spike in COVID-19 cases.

"I'm not saying it should be mandatory, but I'm asking the French people to wear masks on public transport", Health Minister Brigitte Bourguignon said on Monday.

"I'm not just advising, I'm asking", he continued, adding masks should also be re-used in other closed areas, such as workplaces or shops.

Last week, France's head of vaccinations Alain Fischer confirmed that the country was in the midst of a new wave of COVID-19, like other European countries, adding he personally supported the mandatory re-implementation of face masks on public transport.