May 17, 2020 - World

India extends coronavirus lockdown until end of May

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.

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