French health ministry says COVID-19 cases in hospitals slips

French health ministry said on Monday that people should continue applying protective measures against the new coronavirus outbreak even as the number of cases in hospitals and intensive care continues to fall.

It said in a statement that as France readies for a second phase of the easing of restrictive measures from Tuesday, with parks, bars and restaurants expected to reopen, the "good news should not make us forget the danger of the virus."

It said in a daily update that 18,506 coronavirus deaths have been reported in hospital since March 1, while there were still 14,288 cases in hospital on Monday, a slight drop from 14,322 on Sunday.