Medical workers processing coronavirus tests on July 11 in Ahmedabad. Photo: Sam Panthaky/AFP via Getty Images
India is set to reinstate mandatory lockdowns for cities as medical facilities across the country are strained due to a recent surge in new coronavirus infections, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: Roughly four months ago, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a national lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus, hoping to avoid the large-scale crisis it's now experiencing.
By the numbers: New COVID-19 cases have rapidly increased since the federal government and regional governments began easing restrictions in May.
- India’s total case count rose to the third highest in the world this week, with more than 820,000 confirmed infections and 22,123 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
- With 1.3 billion people, India is the second-most populated country in the world.
Details: City officials in the town of Pune plan to shut down next week after several days of high new case numbers, according to NYT.
- Officials in Aurangabad extended their curfew, while the state of Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous, ordered almost all businesses to close for the weekend.
- The city of Bengaluru is set to implement a complete lockdown from July 14-23, according to the Times of India.
Go deeper: India reports third-highest coronavirus case count in the world