PARIS - The COVID-19 situation is "worrying" in about 10 French regional departments, including the Paris-Ile de France area around the capital, and the government is ready to take extra measures to limit infections, spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday.

"The situation is deteriorating. and it is a source of worry in about 10 regional departments. and some regions require rapid and strong measures," Attal told reporters after a meeting of the cabinet.

"We have shown in regions such as Moselle and Alpes-Maritimes that, when the situation requires it, we can act quickly."

The Alpes-Maritimes Mediterranean coastal region around Nice on Monday announced a partial lockdown over the next two weekends.

Attal reiterated that the government was doing all it could to avoid a new national lockdown.

Health Minister Olivier Veran was heading on Wednesday to the northern port of Dunkirk to discuss measures to limit infections with local officials.

Unlike some of its neighbours, France has resisted a new national lockdown to control more contagious variants, hoping a curfew in place since Dec. 15 can contain the pandemic.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Kevin Liffey) ((dominique.vidalon@thomsonreuters.com; +33149495432; Reuters Messaging: dominique.vidalon.reuters.com@reuters.net))