New Delhi: Coronavirus cases in India exceeded million on Friday, official data showed as authorities struggle to check the spread of the deadly pandemic across the world´s second-most populous nation.
With over 600 Indians dying daily, lockdowns are being re-imposed across the country of 1.3 billion following an easing of restrictions in recent weeks on hopes the outbreak was under control.
Health ministry data released Friday put the total cases recorded at 1,003,382, a jump of almost 35,000, with 25,602 deaths after an increase of 687 — both new daily records.
Read Also: India will cross 20 lakh COVID-19 cases by Aug 10: Rahul
Rahul Gandhi on Friday urged the government to take concrete steps to prevent the spread of deadly virus (coronavirus(, saying if it keeps spreading at the current pace then there will be more than 20 lakh cases by August 10.
“10,00,000-mark has been crossed. If COVID19 spreads at this pace, by August 10, more than 20,00,000 will be infected in the country,” the former Congress chief said in a tweet in Hindi.
10,00,000 का आँकड़ा पार हो गया।
इसी तेज़ी से #COVID19 फैला तो 10 अगस्त तक देश में 20,00,000 से ज़्यादा संक्रमित होंगे।
सरकार को महामारी रोकने के लिए ठोस, नियोजित कदम उठाने चाहिए। https://t.co/fMxijUM28r
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 17, 2020
The government must take concrete and planned steps to prevent further spread of the pandemic, he said.
Gandhi has been critical of the government’s handling of the pandemic and has questioned the Centre’s claims on battling coronavirus.
“While the world´s attention has been focused on the unfolding crisis in the United States and South America, a concurrent human tragedy is fast emerging in South Asia.
Until now India´s main hotspots have been the megacities of Mumbai and New Delhi, but recently smaller cities and rural areas — where 70 percent of Indians live — have begun to raise the alarm.