Paris and Marseille have been declared high-risk areas for the coronavirus – known as “red zones” in France – noting that the virus is “actively circulating” in the two cities.

The French government on Friday declared Paris and Marseille and its surrounding area high-risk zones for the coronavirus, granting authorities there powers to impose localised curbs to contain the spread of the disease.

The declaration, made in a government decree, follows a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections in France over the past two weeks.