A man wearing protective suit and face mask leaves a supermarket after shopping in Nice, as a lockdown is imposed to slow the rate of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in France. (Reuters)

AFP Paris

Updated on: April 18, 2020, 11:30 PM IST

April 18, 2020, 11:30 PM IST FOLLOW US ON: Facebook Twitter Instagram

France on Saturday reported 642 more deaths from COVID-19 in hospitals and nursing homes over the last 24 hours but registered new falls in the total numbers of coronavirus patients in hospitals and intensive care.

The new deaths -- 364 in hospitals and 278 in nursing homes -- brought the total toll in the country from the epidemic to 19,323, the French health ministry said in a statement.