NEW DELHI / MUMBAI (Reuters) – India overtook Russia on Monday to register the world’s third-highest number of coronavirus infections at nearly 700,000, even as its worst-hit state said it will allow hotels to reopen this week.
A healthcare worker wearing protective equipment transfers a resident’s blood sample to a vial during a screening campaign to address the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Ahmedabad, India, July 6, 2020. REUTERS / Amit Dave
Data from the health ministry of the world’s second most populous country showed more than 23,000 new cases on Monday, slightly below Sunday’s record increase of nearly 25,000. There have been almost 20,000 deaths in India since the first case was detected there in January.
India now only tracks the United States and Brazil in the number of COVID-19 cases and has recorded eight times as many cases as China, where the virus was first identified in late 2019.
But its death rate per 10,000 people remains low, 0.15, compared to 3.97 in the United States and 6.65 in the United Kingdom, according to a Reuters count. Mainland China is at 0.03.
Authorities said they had reversed on Monday the decision to reopen the Taj Mahal, India’s most famous tourist attraction, in the city of Agra, following a surge in new cases in the area.
Some other monuments in and around the capital, New Delhi, opened on Monday, albeit with very few visitors. India is moving ahead with relaxations for its more than two-month blockade amid bleak economic forecasts.
New Delhi, along with Maharashtra, home to the financial capital of India, Mumbai, and the southern state of Tamil Nadu account for approximately 60% of the total number of coronavirus cases in the country.
Maharashtra, the worst-hit state with nearly 210,000 cases, said it would allow hotels outside of containment zones to reopen to 33% capacity starting Wednesday, and issued guidelines for staff and guests.
India is also seeing acceptance in cases like states like Kerala, Karnataka and Assam, which until recently had been relatively unscathed.
“This presents itself as an urban health challenge,” said Dr. Rajib Dasgupta, a professor of community health at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, noting that he is exposing weaknesses in the public health system.
Reports from Alasdair Pal and Abhirup Roy; Additional reports from Rajendra Jadhav and Sunil Kataria; Editing by Nick Macfie
.
