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Where are the 25 new Covid-19 clusters in France?
Outbreaks discovered after May 11 deconfinement
Authorities in France are working to contain new clusters of coronavirus which have sprung up since the country made its first tentative steps out of lockdown last week, Health Minister Olivier Véran has said.
Mr Véran told the Journal du Dimanche that 25 new outbreaks had been identified since May 11. Only Normandy and Corsica had avoided a new cluster of Covid-19 cases.
Three outbreaks have been identified in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and three in Île-de-France, including one in a block for young workers in Clamart, Hauts-de-Seine. There are also three new outbreaks in Occitanie and three in Pays-de-la-Loire.
Meanwhile, more than 100 people tested positive on Sunday across two "clusters" in two slaughterhouses, one near Orleans and the other near Saint-Brieuc.
A total 63 out of 209 staff tested positive in Saint-Brieuc, while - in the Orléans abattoir, which has since been closed - 34 cases were confirmed from 400 workers.
"According to the company's human resources department, there were masks, gels, temperature readings at the entrance to the slaughterhouse and it seems that the protocol was followed," said regional prefect Pierre Pouessel, who added that the site would be closed until at least 25 May while tests were analysed.
Officials said that all the newly identified cases were confined to small areas, and that businesses in question had all been active during the confinement period.
Local authorities also said they were tracing anyone who had come into contact with each infected person, and putting them under quarantine.
Mr Véran said that up to 50,000 tests had been carried out daily and the capacity was increasing.
New figures on the number of cases since lockdown measures were lifted would be available in 10-15 days time, he said, as well as information about a possible second wave of the virus.
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