"At the national level, all events with a crowd of more than a thousand people are prohibited", Veran said in a press conference, aired live by the Elysee Palace on Facebook.
The French government has previously banned all indoor gatherings of more than 5,000 people in a bid to contain the spread of the deadly virus in the country. In addition, the government also canceled the half-marathon in Paris, as well as other upcoming large-scale events across the country.
According to the latest data, France has registered 1126 COVID-19 cases in the country, while at least 19 people have died from coronavirus-related complications.
On a global scale, the number of coronavirus cases has exceeded 110,000, with more than 90 countries reporting infections. In addition, over 3,820 people have already died from the disease, while nearly 62,000 have fully recovered.
COVID-19 was first detected in China's Wuhan in late December and has since spread across the world. In late January, the World Health Organisation declared a global health emergency in light of the epidemic.
