India Sees Biggest Daily Increase in Coronavirus Cases as Prepares to Ease Lockdown
(BANGKOK) — India reported its biggest daily increase in cases Monday as it prepares to gradually resume train service while easing its virus lockdown.
India’s train network was halted in late March as a lockdown was imposed on the country of 1.3 billion people.
When service restarts Tuesday, passengers must wear masks and pass health screenings before being allowed to board trains. The trains will make fewer stops than usual as service is gradually restarted.
The announcement comes after the government arranged for trains to transport thousands of migrant workers stranded in Indian cities back to their homes.
The railway system is often described as India’s lifeline, transporting 23 million people across the vast subcontinent each day, some 8.4 billion passengers each year.
On Monday, India’s government reported 4,213 new cases of coronavirus infection over the past 24 hours. It has now more than 67,000 cases which include 2,206 deaths.
The rise in the number of infections come on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to meet various state heads to discuss the country’s lockdown exit strategy.
India’s 54-day coronavirus lockdown is expected to end on May 17.
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region: