Former French cabinet minister Patrick Devedjian, 75, was the country's first senior politician to die for Covid-19.

Devedjian was the minister in charge of reviving the French economy after the 2008 financial crisis. He was also a close adviser to former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Former Minister Devedjian announced he had symptoms of nCoV infection on March 25.

"I have been affected by the disease and I can now witness firsthand the outstanding efforts of the team of doctors and nurses," he wrote on Twitter earlier this week. "I am grateful for their unending help for the patients."

Devedjian has held various positions in the French government since joining politics in 1983. He also served as mayor of Antony before becoming chairman of the Haut-de-Seine administrative district on the western outskirts of the capital. Paris.

France has recorded more than 38,000 cases of nCoV so far, including 2,300 deaths. The country imposed a blockade on March 17 in an effort to prevent the pandemic from spreading. Officials repeatedly stressed the measures took time to get results. Prime Minister Philippe said on March 27 that the blockade would last for two more weeks, until April 15 due to the pressure of the crisis.