French health minister Olivier Veran said on Monday that it was possible a new strain of the COVID virus was circulating in France, although recent tests had not detected it in the country.
"It is entirely possible that the virus is circulating in France," Veran told Europe 1 radio.
The new UK variant of the COVID virus appears to be 70% more transmissible, forcing new lockdown measures in Britain and travel restrictions from its European neighbors.