Several Indian regions relaxed various corona measures on Monday as the number of infections fell to the lowest level in more than two months. In the capital, New Delhi, all shops and shopping centres are allowed to open again.
The cafes, gyms, cinemas and parks in New Delhi will remain closed. Furthermore, the state of Tamil Nadu, for example, allows more people to be in the workplace and liquor stores can open their doors again. If the number of infections rises again, India wants to reintroduce the restrictions.
The second wave of infection in India started in April and peaked in early May, with more than 400,000 confirmed cases per day. Authorities reported just over 70,000 new cases on Monday, the lowest number since March 31. The pressure to relax is great as many millions of Indians depend on daily wages.
Experts have warned against lifting all restrictions because only a small part of the population has been vaccinated against Covid-19. About 5 percent of the estimated 950 million adults are fully vaccinated. Due to the many infections, which caused the healthcare sector to become heavily overloaded, India has stopped exporting corona vaccines to vaccinate its own population more quickly.
India officially has 29.5 million infections and more than 374,000 deaths. The actual numbers are higher because not all cases are known to the authorities. In addition, there was not always sufficient test capacity in recent months.