France on Tuesday recorded 330 new coronavirus deaths over the last 24 hours, a rise in the daily toll as the country prepares to begin easing lockdown measures in less than a week.

The latest deaths brought the total toll from the epidemic in the country to 25,531, according to top health official Jerome Salomon.

The 330 new deaths are also higher than 306 new fatalities recorded Monday, which in turn were more than double a day earlier.  

But the pressure on intensive care units continues to ease, with 266 fewer patients suffering from coronavirus in the last 24 hours to make a total of 3,430 patients receiving such urgent treatment.

France is due to emerge on May 11 from a lockdown that began in mid-March to combat the virus, with officials saying the epidemic is steadying while warning the country must remain cautious to ward off a second wave.

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