Several Indian states imposed weekend curfews and locked down high-risk areas as its coronavirus cases surge. The number of infections neared 900,000 on Monday with a record 28,701 cases reported in the past 24 hours. With 28,701 new infections, the number of total coronavirus cases in the country is over 8.7 lakh. After 500 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the toll now stands at 23,174. While 3,01,609 cases in the country are active, 5,53,471 patients have already recovered. Several states reported their highest single-day spike on Sunday. Among them was Gujarat, where the tally rose by 879 to reach 41,897. West Bengal's COVID-19 cases crossed the 30,000-mark with record 1,560 new cases reported from different parts of the state, according to a bulletin issued by the state health department. A new daily record of 1,933 cases pushed the coronavirus tally in Andhra Pradesh to 29,168 on Sunday The total figure of 878,254 is behind only the United States and Brazil. The health ministry on Monday also reported another 500 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking India's total fatalities from COVID-19 up to 23,174. The ministry said the recovery rate was continuing to improve at 63 percent. New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Pune are among the Indian cities witnessing a surge in infections. Several states introduced weekend curfews and announced stringent lockdowns in high-risk areas to slow infections. India imposed a national lockdown March 24 that lasted more than two months, but it has mostly reopened. — Agencies
