Updated Oct 22, 2020 - World

France becomes 2nd Western European country to top 1M coronavirus cases

Axios

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speec at the Seine Saint Denis prefecture headquarters in Bobigny, northeastern suburbs of Paris, on October 20 — French President Emmanuel Macron at the Seine Saint Denis prefecture headquarters in Paris, on Tuesday. Photo: Ludovic Marin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

France has become the second country in Western Europe to surpass 1 million COVID-19 cases, Johns Hopkins University data shows

The big picture: France had reported 1,000,369 cases and 34,075 deaths from the coronavirus by Thursday morning, per JHU. French President Emmanuel Macron declared a state of health emergency and imposed a curfew on virus hot spots earlier this month. Spain on Wednesday became the first Western European nation to top 1 million cases.

French government officials announced later on Thursday that they were extending its coronavirus 9 a.m. - 6 a.m. curfew to cover 46 million people. The new measures will start midnight on Friday.

Go deeper: In photos: Coronavirus restrictions grow across Europe

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the announcement of the new measures.

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France becomes 2nd Western European country to top 1M coronavirus cases

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