The situation regarding COVID infections in China is "worrying", the French health minister said on Thursday although he added that pressure on France's hospitals regarding COVID was easing.

European Union member states on Wednesday agreed to introduce some safety measures with regard to travellers from China, as the bloc's crisis response group recommended that passengers flying to the EU should have a negative COVID-19 test before they board.

"We're declining considerably, including with regard to people in hospital, but what's going on in China is worrying", France's Health Minister Francois Braun told France 2 television. (Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)