May 17, 2020 - World

India extends coronavirus lockdown until end of May

Jacob Knutson

A medical worker checks a child's temperature. — A medical worker checks a child's temerpature. Photo: Keshav Singh/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

India extended its almost two-month coronavirus lockdown until the end of May on Sunday, although the government's National Disaster Management Authority said in a statement that new guidelines may be issued to help restart economic activity, AP reports.

Why it matters: India's lockdown, which began in late March and affected 1.4 billion people, is the largest ever attempted.

The Health Ministry reported a record jump of nearly 5,000 cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, increasing the country's number of confirmed cases to 90,927.
Major metropolitan areas like Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai are still trying to control the spread of the virus.

The big picture: Schools, hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping malls, cinemas, places of worship and travel by air, rail and metro will remain shut down nationwide.

Go deeper: India's Modi sees popularity boost for coronavirus response

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India extends coronavirus lockdown until end of May

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