France's coronavirus-linked death toll reached almost 26,000 on Thursday but rose less sharply than in previous days as the government confirmed it would start lifting an almost two-month-old national lockdown from Monday, Reuters reports.

The number of people who have died from Covid-19 was up 178 or 0.7 per cent to 25,987, the lowest rate of increase in four days.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said earlier that enough progress had been made in curbing the disease and supporting hospitals to begin easing restrictions. However, some regions including the Paris area, remain “red zones” with a more cautious end to the lockdown.

France is the fifth hardest-hit country in the world in terms of fatalities, closely behind Spain, which has 26,070 coronavirus deaths.