India has ordered 375million people back into lockdown as the country suffered another record spike in coronavirus cases today.
The South Asian country went from the world's sixth-worst affected country by the coronavirus to the third, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Health officials announced 29,429 new cases this morning, bringing the total from 906,752 to 937,844 with India on the brink of becoming the third country after the US and Brazil to pile up a million infections.
India has tallied 937,844 infections and more than 23,174 deaths, with cases doubling every three weeks. On Sunday, the country reported its highest single-day tally of more than 28,600 cases.
As cases continue to surge, the impoverished state of Bihar yesterday ordered its 125million people into a two-week lockdown, while the IT hub of Bangalore has shut down shops and transport in another week-long shutdown.
'All city municipalities, district headquarters, block headquarters will stay under lockdown,' deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi said.
'There is no medicine or vaccine for corona. We have to ensure that we cover our faces with masks, handkerchiefs or towels,' the minister said.
Transport will be banned in the city except for emergencies, and only shops selling essential items are allowed to open.
Places of worship, public transport and government offices will close again and people will be ordered to stay at home unless necessary.
Schools, colleges and restaurants will remain shut, authorities said.
A new lockdown has also been imposed in the western city of Pune, which saw its worst daily increase with 1,333 new infections on Monday.
Other states including Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous with 200 million inhabitants, Tamil Nadu and Assam have also introduced new restrictions.
Kerala in the south has also implemented tight controls in a dozen areas including state capital Thiruvananthapuram until July 23.
The state has seen cases shoot up to over 8,000 following the return of people from Gulf countries where Keralites make up a substantial proportion of foreign workers.
A total number of people back in lockdown as 375million, more than a quarter of India's population.
India ordered its entire 1.3billion population into lockdown in March when the country had only a few hundred cases and a handful of deaths.
But the measures were lifted in May and June after the shutdown of the $2.9trillion economy left millions of people out of work.
Cases have spiralled in recent weeks with the daily record repeatedly broken and 193,764 cases recorded in the last week alone.
In one glimmer of hope, Delhi reported its lowest daily figure for five weeks with 1,246 new infections on Monday.
Delhi has largely seen activity return to normal apart from several 'containment zones' and has shelved plans to turn stadiums into coronavirus care centres.
India's health minister Harsh Vardhan said he expected coronavirus cases to peak in various parts of the country at different times.
More than 280,000 samples are being tested every day in the country, taking the total to nearly 12 million.
More than 13.29 million people around the world have been diagnosed with COVID-19, 7.37 million have recovered, and more than 577,900 have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The US, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Italy have recorded the most deaths.
Comments