India surpasses China in coronavirus cases

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) - India's tally of coronavirus cases has surpassed China reaching 85,940 on Saturday, according to the country's Health Ministry.

China has reported 82,933 cases and 4,633 deaths since the start of the outbreak last December.

With 103 new deaths on Saturday, India's death toll has risen to 2,752.

India is on the 11th spot among countries reporting the highest number of confirmed cases. Some 30,152 people have recovered in India so far.

Maharashtra is the worst affected state with 29,100 COVID-19 cases. Tamil Nadu in the south has reported 10,108 cases, while the western state of Gujarat has reported 9,931 cases so far.

Maharashtra also has the highest number of deaths with 1,068. Over 1,000 policemen in the state have contracted the virus and 10 of them have died so far.

India implemented a three-week nationwide lockdown on March 24 to curb the spread of the virus. The lockdown was extended until May 3 and has again been extended until May 17.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is soon expected to announce a decision on whether to extend the lockdown after May 17 or not.

Many states have suggested relaxations for the lockdown to revive the economy. Earlier this week, Modi said that the next set of the curbs are going to be different from the earlier lockdowns.