Bollywood actors are treated like royalty in India, but the country has learned in recent days that they are not immune to COVID-19.
The coronavirus outbreak that swept across the country, where nearly 850,000 cases have been confirmed, saw three generations of a famous Bollywood family succumb to the virus over the weekend.
Amitabh Bachchan, one of India’s best-known movie stars, was confirmed to have COVID-19 along with her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.
Bachchan’s son Abhishek, also an actor, said in a tweet on Saturday that he and his father tested positive for the virus, and were admitted to a hospital despite showing mild symptoms.
Abhishek Bachchan said his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, a former Miss World, and her eight-year-old daughter had also been infected and will be quarantined at home.
“The rest of the family, including my mother, have come back negative,” said Bachchan, thanking fans for their wishes and prayers.
“Everyone, please be cautious and safe. Please follow all the rules! “she added in another tweet.
Amitabh Bachchan, 77, has been a prominent figure in India’s fight against the coronavirus, appearing in public service announcements, urging people to wear masks, wash their hands frequently, and maintain social distance.
India saw 28,637 new infections on Sunday, a new record for daily infections for the country, according to a count by the World Health Organization (WHO). It has the third highest case count in the world behind the US and Brazil.
The country’s 1.3 billion people were blocked in March, but the Indian government eased restrictions in early June to boost the economy, which has been hit by the pandemic. However, outbreaks of the virus have forced some areas to re-impose restrictions.
So far, 23,174 people have died from COVID-19 in India, according to the country’s ministry of health.
On Sunday, the WHO reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases, with a total increase of 230,370 in 24 hours.
The biggest increases were from the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa, according to the WHO daily report.
The previous record for new cases was 228,186 on Friday, according to the WHO count.
The number of coronavirus cases worldwide approached 13 million on Monday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, with a worldwide death toll of close to 570,000.
South Africa announced that it will re-impose a ban on the sale of alcohol and a nightly curfew to reduce pressure on its hospitals as coronavirus infections rise rapidly, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.
The country registered 13,497 new cases on Sunday, with a total of 264,184, the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Africa.
The Ramaphosa government imposed one of the world’s strictest blockades in late March and delayed the rise in infections, but has since eased many restrictions for fear of its struggling economy.
“The coronavirus storm is much fiercer and more destructive than any we’ve ever known,” he said in a televised speech, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, which has managed to resist the pandemic thus far, faces a growing group of cases in a pub used by freight drivers traveling across the country, leading to Fear of a second wave of the virus increases.
The new cases come after the neighboring state of Victoria last week forced nearly 5 million people to lock themselves up again after a surge in cases.
In Japan, 62 US servicemen have tested positive for coronavirus at three bases in Okinawa, in an outbreak that sparked anger from local officials.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Mai Nishiyama contributed
