Covid 19 coronavirus: India surpasses Brazil as the second country most affected by the virus in the world

The growing number of cases from India made the Asian giant the second most affected country by the pandemic today, behind the United States, as its efforts to avoid economic disaster take on urgency.

The 90,802 cases added in the last 24 hours pushed India’s total beyond Brazil with 4.2 million cases. India is now only behind the United States, which has more than 6 million. India’s Health Ministry also reported 1,016 deaths on Monday for a total of 71,642, the third highest national number.

India has been posting the world’s largest daily increases in coronavirus cases for nearly a month. Despite the more than 2 million new cases in the last month and the spread of the virus through the country’s smaller cities and towns, the Indian government has continued to relax restrictions to try to revive the economy.

The Delhi Metro, a rapid transit system serving India’s expanding capital New Delhi and adjacent areas, resumed operations today after five months.

Only asymptomatic people were allowed to board the rattling trains, with masks, social distancing and mandatory temperature checks.

“We’re on our way. It’s been 169 days since we saw you!” Tweeted the official Delhi Metro Twitter account.

The capital’s metro train network is the largest rapid transport system in India. Before closing in March, full trains carried an average of 2.6 million passengers a day.

Its reopening comes at a time when India has the fastest growing coronavirus crisis in the world and the economy has contracted faster than that of any other major nation.

– AP