India's Covid-19 case tally nears 3.8 million on the first day of Unlock 4
The country is still suffering from an uncontrollable surge in Covid-19 new cases with the constant lifting of restrictions posing a higher risk.
On the first day of implementing Unlock 4 in India, the country's Covid-19 caseload is nearing the 3.8 million mark with 78,357 fresh cases reported across the country during the past 24 hours (taking the total tally up to 3,769,523 cases). India is only trailing the USA and Brazil in terms of the number of cases.
India has been easing lockdown restrictions that were initially imposed back in March in a gradual manner, since the country's economy has been seriously impacted due to the consequences of the pandemic outbreak. Some data shows that the economy shrank by nearly a quarter between April and June.
On 1 September, the country entered a new phase of eased restrictions as Unlock 4 commenced. Under this new phase, subway trains have returned to operation, while gatherings for cultural, sports, religious, and entertainment activities have also been permitted -- which will increase the risk of virus transmission.
India has reported nearly 500,000 new cases over the past week, increasing the global tally of infections by 1%.