The number of people with coronavirus in French intensive care units has fallen by 16 to 2,896 in data released, the first decline in two weeks after a period of sharp rises.

The number of people in intensive care is a key measure of a health system’s ability to cope with the pandemic.

The government has said it wanted that figure to hold steady between 2,500 and 3,000 before considering loosening curfew restrictions, but it had been increasing steadily since early January.

According to Reuters, the health ministry also reported 23,924 new confirmed Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, up from 23,292 on Friday and 21,406 last Saturday. France’s cumulative number of cases stands at 3.04 million. The daily tally of Covid-19 deaths in hospitals fell to 230 from 319.