Huge crowds at Haridwar as India overtakes Brazil to become second worst hit country

In Haridwar, many devotees attended a sacred ritual at the Ganges river as part of the Kumbh Mela festival. Many such events along with political rallies as part of the state elections campaign have been attributed for such a massive rise in cases.

With hospitals buckling due to the amount of new cases, authorities are warning the population of tougher rules unless people social distance and wear masks.

The Modi government is trying to avoid imposing another lockdown and as resorted to closing down restaurants and shops for a number of days during the week. The upcoming month of Ramadan is expected to lead to another spike in cases.

In Maharashtra, a lockdown is on the cards, especially with hundreds of cases being reported every day. Mumbai is expecting a field hospital soon with over 2,000 beds.