France: Prosecutor probes govt's COVID-19 response

PARIS

The prosecutor office in Paris has opened an investigation into the French government's handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

This came as 80 criminal complaints were filed by people, who were affected by COVID-19, about the response by government bodies to the epidemic.

The complainants accused authorities of "endangering the lives of others," and "failing to assist people in danger" during the lockdown, Paris public prosecutor Remy Heitz said.

The investigation, which does not cover the deaths in nursing homes, will aim to uncover "possible criminal offenses," he added.

As of June 8, the death toll in France stands at 29,209 with cases of infection rising slightly, to 154,188, an increase of 211 cases over the previous day.

Since the beginning of record-keeping for the disease, 71,062 people have recovered in France from the epidemic and have returned home.

The pandemic has killed over 407,000 people worldwide, with more than 7.14 million confirmed cases and over 3.31 million recoveries, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

*Writing and contributions by Rabia Iclal Turan