Hundreds of millions in India back in lockdown as virus cases surge

Hundreds of millions of people in India are back into lockdown conditions as coronavirus cases surge in the country.

More than 400 million people are impacted in three Indian states shut down, CNN reported on Wednesday. 

Lockdowns were also instituted in high-risk areas of localities in several other states, permitting only essential food supplies and health services, The Associated Press reported.

The lockdowns come as India, which ended a national lockdown at the end of May, confirmed a high of 32,695 new cases on Thursday, bringing its total closer to 1 million cases. 

The nation’s health ministry also counted a single-day high of 606 new deaths on Thursday, bringing the country’s total to 24,915 fatalities.

But the ministry celebrated a rising recovery rate of 63.24 percent and said the rise in cases is associated with an increase in testing, the AP noted

The Indian Medical Association reported 99 doctors have died and 1,302 are infected as they advocated for shorter working hours. 

Experts expect the additional localized shutdowns to pose a threat to the economic boost India experienced after the national lockdown. India’s minister for small and medium businesses, Nitin Gadkari, said experts are predicting a $133.3 billion loss in the next year, according to the AP.

India is behind only the U.S. and Brazil in the number of coronavirus cases recorded, as the U.S. has documented nearly 3.5 million cases and Brazil has counted more than 1.9 million cases.