French schoolchildren above the age of 11 will be required to wear masks when they return to school in just over a week in a bid to halt the quickening spread of the coronavirus, the education minister said.

The new policy marks a toughening of measures as coronavirus infections pick up pace in France, with 4,700 new cases reported on Thursday — a massive increase on the previous day and a post-lockdown record.

“Use of masks will be systematic inside from middle school and not only where there is no social distancing. But outdoors, it's a local decision,” Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said in a televised interview late on Thursday.