Paris, Jan 1 : The French Public Health Agency has reported over 232,200 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, setting a new record since the outbreak of the pandemic in France, bringing the country's cumulative number of Covid-19 cases to 9,972,800. It is the third consecutive day that France reported a daily count of over 200,000 new coronavirus cases, Xinhua news agency reported. The agency on Friday said that more than 18,000 patients are now being hospitalised, with 3,543 of them in intensive care units. The Regional Health Agency of Ile-de-France, where Paris is situated, called on all hospitals on Friday to postpone non-urgent surgeries in order to save intensive care units beds for Omicron patients. According to the French Public Health Agency, in the last five days, 62.4 per cent of Covid-19 positive tests were related to the Omicron variant on the French territory, while on December 13, only 15 per cent of positive results were related to the Omicron variant. By Friday, nearly 53 million people in France have received one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, representing 78.5 per cent of the country's population. For New Year celebrations, bars and restaurants in Paris will have to close doors at 2 a.m., Paris Police Department announced on Wednesday, adding that drinking alcohol in public areas will be prohibited on December 31 from 6 p.m. in the evening. Wearing face masks outdoors became mandatory starting on Friday in major cities such as Paris and Lyon. /IANS