The Latest: India reports nearly 10,000 new virus cases

The Latest: India reports nearly 10,000 new virus cases

SeattlePI.com

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NEW DELHI: India reported a new rise of nearly 10,000 coronavirus infections Wednesday, with a total caseload of 276,583, the fifth highest in the world.

The Health Ministry confirmed 9,985 new cases and 274 deaths in the last 24 hours. Total fatalities have reached 7,745.

Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and New Delhi are the worst-hit states.

The spike comes as the government reopened restaurants, shopping malls and places of worship in most of India after a more than 2-month-old lockdown. Subways, hotels and schools remain closed.

India has so far tested more than 4.9 million people with a daily capacity crossing 140,000.

The number of new cases has soared since the government began relaxing restrictions. There has also been a surge in infections in rural India following the return of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who lost their jobs during the lockdown.

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