As the day unfolded: Gladys Berejiklian to put freeze on NSW public sector wages as Scott Morrison spruiks JobMaker plan, Australian death toll stands at 103

Paris: The French government has cancelled a decree allowing hospital doctors to administer hydroxychloroquine as a treatment to patients suffering severe forms of COVID-19.

Wednesday's announcement comes two days after the World Health Organisation said it was pausing a large trial of the malaria drug due to safety concerns.

British medical journal The Lancet has reported that patients getting hydroxychloroquine had increased death rates and irregular heartbeats, adding to a series of other disappointing results for the drug as a way to treat COVID-19.

US President Donald Trump and others have pushed hydroxychloroquine in recent months as a possible coronavirus treatment.

As Mediterranean beaches and Las Vegas casinos lay out plans to welcome tourists again, South Korea on Wednesday announced a spike in new infections and considered reimposing social distancing restrictions, revealing the setbacks ahead for others on the road to reopening.

In South Korea, 40 newly confirmed cases - the biggest daily jump in nearly 50 days - raised alarms as millions of children returned to school Wednesday.

All but four of the new cases were in the densely populated Seoul region, where officials are scrambling to stop transmissions linked to nightclubs, karaoke rooms and a massive e-commerce warehouse. All were reopened last month when social distancing measures were relaxed.

The country's top infectious disease expert said South Korea may need to reimpose social distancing restrictions because it's becoming increasingly difficult for health workers to track the spread of COVID-19 amid warmer weather and eased attitudes on distancing.

The EU Commission is proposing a €750 billion ($1.29 billion) recovery fund to help the bloc's economy through the deep recession induced by the coronavirus pandemic, commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said Wednesday.

Gentiloni, who is in charge of economic affairs at the EU's executive body, confirmed the size of the fund in a tweet.

The move comes as the 27-nation trading bloc is set to enter its deepest-ever recession as the impact from the coronavirus pandemic ravages economies. Virtually every country has broken the EU's deficit limit as they've spent to keep health care systems, businesses and jobs alive.

Earlier this month, the leaders of Germany and France - historically, the two main drivers of EU integration - agreed on a one-time €500 billion ($826 billion) fund, a proposal that would add further cash to an arsenal of financial measures the bloc is deploying to cope with the economic fallout.

Dentists across NSW and the ACT are open and treating patients, with the head of the Australian Dental Association's NSW branch encouraging people to come in for their usual check-ups.

“Putting off seeing your dentist impacts your overall health," Dr Kathleen Matthews said.

"Over the past couple of months, many people were forced to delay routine dental treatment but dentists are now open and seeing patients. Regular dental appointments are important to ensure good dental hygiene and oral health."

In March, dentists restricted services other than urgent and emergency treatment as part of the national COVID-19 response.