Coronavirus: Covid-19 cases spike as India prepares to exit lockdown

The spread of the virus shows no sign of slowing, despite the country having been locked down since March 25

In past three days it has registered nearly 11,000 cases and experts fear more are to come as rail services restart and migrant workers return home

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A migrant worker looks out from a train that will take him to his home state of Uttar Pradesh, in Ahmedabad, India. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:00pm, 11 May 2020Updated: 12:48am, 12 May 2020

India recorded a massive increase in Covid-19 infections on Monday, just a day before it restarts long-distance railway services in its first step to reopening after a strict nationwide lockdown.

The country recorded 4,213 new infections from Sunday morning to Monday morning, taking its total to 67,152, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The increase means that in the past three days alone, India has registered nearly 11,000 new infections.

With the spread of the virus showing no sign of slowing, alarm bells are now ringing. When the lockdown was imposed on March 25, India had recorded just 657 infections.

The lockdown is due to expire on Sunday and there has been increasing pressure on the Indian government to kick-start the economy. Unemployment has soared to 27.1 per cent with 114 million jobs lost in just the past two months, and many analysts are now predicting the economy could shrink over this financial year.

However, the spurt of cases might force the government to rethink whether to relax the restrictions.

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Public health experts say that with the lockdown becoming increasingly unsustainable economically, Indians will have to brace themselves for a further increase in cases.

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