The Latest: India adds 72K virus cases, gives festival rules

NEW DELHI — India has registered 72,049 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, driving the country’s total to 6.75 million.

The Health Ministry on Wednesday also reported 986 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the toll to 104,555.

Almost 50% of the deaths due to COVID-19 in India are concentrated in 25 districts in eight states and nearly 10 states account for 77% of the total active cases in the country, according to the ministry.

India’s recovery rate stands at more than 84%. The government has cited that figure as a reason for further opening the economy by allowing movie theatres to partially reopen from Oct. 15 with 50% capacity.

The health ministry on Tuesday also issued guidelines for large gatherings during upcoming religious festivals and barred people from touching idols and holy books at such events to prevent the spread of the virus.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— Trump is said to be getting better but spends the day out of sight as top military leaders enter quarantine and a top aide test positive

— Trump halts negotiations over more COVID-19 relief, delaying action until after election despite ominous economic warnings

— Pence and Harris are poised to meet for a VP debate that will offer starkly different visions for a country confronting escalating crises

— Catastrophic collapse of medical supply chain was one of the most consequential failures of US outbreak, and people died

— Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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