Health Minister Olivier Véran and Prime Minister Jean Castex are reportedly under investigation. Getty.
BBC News
French police have raided the homes of senior government and health officials as part of an investigation into their handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Health Minister Olivier Véran and the director of the national health agency, Jérôme Salomon, are among those whose properties were searched on Thursday.
It comes after a court launched an inquiry earlier this year into the government's handling of the pandemic.
It has faced criticism over shortages of equipment and slow response times.
Prime Minister Jean Castex is also under investigation, French media report, as is his predecessor Edouard Philippe and Mr Véran's predecessor Agnès Buzyn.
The court that launched the investigation in July hears cases of alleged wrongdoing by ministers and other government officials in the course of their duties.
The move comes shortly after President Emmanuel Macron announced a night-time curfew in Paris and eight other cities to try to curb the rapid spread of Covid-19 in the country. Read more >>