Hard-hit French region home to Cannes and Nice faces weekend lockdowns

Two women sit above a deserted beach in Cannes (AP)

A region in south-east France is adding daytime weekend lockdowns to a 12-hour nightly curfew already in place seven days a week to slow a surge in coronavirus infections that is straining hospital resources.

The Alpes-Maritimes region that includes the towns of Nice, Cannes and other Mediterranean beauty spots is the first region to add the increased restrictions to the daily 6pm-6am curfew that has been in force nationwide since January.