PARIS
Approximately 2,000 surgical masks were stolen Wednesday from Conception Hospital in the southern French city of Marseille.
According to the Marseille Hospitals Authority, an internal investigation has been launched at the hospital, one that is accessible only to staff and those having had surgery.
The theft comes in the midst of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak that has since December, spread from its epicenter in Wuhan, China, to small towns in Europe, with France being an area of increasing concern.
In the past week, the number of infected in France rose to 212 with fatalities standing at four.
President Emmanuel