France ready to tighten coronavirus curbs, says Prime Minister Castex

The French government may have to tighten coronavirus restrictions amid increasing pressure on its hospital system, Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday.

"We will not only keep the measures already in place ... but will be ready to toughen them the moment we see that it is necessary," Castex told a news conference.

He warned that the second wave was ongoing. All businesses closed and activities canceled -- restaurants, museums, cinemas, theaters, sports events -- will stay that way until the end of the month.

The border with the United Kingdom will remain closed until further notice, the prime minister said. France shut the border on December 20 after a fast-spreading strain was discovered in the UK.

Health Minister Olivier Veran told reporters that all laboratories had been tasked with tracing the mutated strains in France.

"We take the threat coming from the British and South African variants very seriously and we are taking every measure to prevent these variants from spreading across the national territory," Veran said.

Certain categories of travelers allowed to come to France from the UK, but also from South Africa, will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result, the health minister said.