France bans gatherings of more than 1,000 people to contain coronavirus

France has banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people to contain coronavirus, the nation's health minister said on Sunday.

There will be some exceptions to the new ban, which includes protests and the use of mass public transport. French health authorities also reported three new coronavirus deaths on Sunday, taking the country's death toll from the outbreak to 19, as the number of reported infections also rose. The total number of confirmed cases was 1,126 on Sunday. That is an increase of 177 cases since late Saturday.