FILE PHOTO: A policeman in a protective mask stands guard near the historic Taj Mahal during a national blockade to curb the spread of COVID-19, in Agra, India, on April 23, 2020. Photo taken on April 23, 2020. 2020. REUTERS / Adnan Abidi
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India overtook Russia with the world’s third-highest number of new coronavirus cases, at nearly 700,000, according to the latest data, as the outbreak shows no signs of slowing down.
Data from the Ministry of Health on Monday showed more than 23,000 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 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 is now the third most affected country in the world, behind only the United States and Brazil.
It has seen eight times as many cases as China, which has a similarly sized population and is where the virus originated late last year.
Authorities said they had reversed the decision to reopen the Taj Mahal, India’s most famous tourist attraction, in the city of Agra, 200 km (125 miles) southeast of New Delhi, on Monday, after a series of new cases in the area.
Alasdair Pal Report; Editing by Robert Birsel
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