India: Surge in new COVID-19 cases brings strict lockdowns

On Monday, India reported another record jump in COVID-19 infections, adding 28,701 new cases and pushing the tally to over 878,000. 

Local authorities in several cities are reimposing strict lockdowns after an attempt to open up to revive an ailing economy. The new cases have raised the national total to 878,254, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Indian central health ministry also reported 500 more deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of fatalities to 23,174.

Major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Pune are among those witnessing a huge hike in infections. Several states have introduced weekend curfews and announced strict lockdowns in high-risk areas to slow down infections.

India has the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world, behind the United States and Brazil.