According to the French health authority, 501,635 new infections were registered within 24 hours. However, the numbers are often much lower on Mondays than on other days of the week.

The incidence rate - the number of infections per 100,000 inhabitants within one week - most recently stood at 3726.

The Omicron variant now accounts for more than 95 per cent of cases in the country of 67 million inhabitants.

In the fight against the ever-increasing number of infections, France's government is putting more restrictions on people who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus or who have not recovered from an infection.

As of this week, they no longer have access to restaurants, bars, cultural institutions, sporting events and long-distance trains.

Previously, entry had been possible even with a negative test.

Australian Associated Press