France has announced tighter Covid restrictions amid concerns over the Omicron variant.

From 3 January, remote working will become compulsory for those who can and public gatherings will be limited to 2,000 people for indoor events.

The news comes as France recorded more than 100,000 new infections on Saturday – the highest number reported in the country since the pandemic began.

But France’s prime minister did not bring in a New Year’s Eve curfew.

Countries across Europe are tightening restrictions as infections rise and the new Omicron variant spreads through the continent.

studies suggest the strain is milder than Delta, with a 30% to 70% lower chance of infected people ending up in hospital. But there are fears the sheer number of cases could overwhelm hospitals.

according to the country’s coronavirus dashboard, France currently has an average of more than 70,000 new daily infections.

On Monday, more than 1,600 new hospitalisations were recorded, bringing the total number of people in hospital as a result of Covid-19 to 17,000, according to data from France’s public health authority.