India reported on Thursday 56,282 new cases over the novel coronavirus, taking its tally of infections to more than 1.96 million, nevertheless authorities eased restrictions aimed at limiting its spread, allowing gyms and yoga studios to open.
India is one of the world’s hardest-hit countries, with over 40,000 people dead of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
But the health ministry said India‘s fatality rate was now 2.07 per cent, the lowest since the outbreak first appeared.
This is the eighth consecutive day that COVID-19 cases have increased by more than 50,000.
The government has been struggling to stop the spread of the virus while also trying to minimise the economic damage and the hardships lockdowns inflict on the poor.
Authorities in the financial hub of Mumbai allowed shops in malls to reopen after more than four months of lockdown, as the number of cases in the city that was hard hit by the outbreak has begun to slowly decline.
Cinemas remain closed and restaurants in most parts of the country are offering only limited services.
