With over 40,000 new COVID cases in 2 days India asks two states to enact curfews

• India reported more than 40,000 new COVID-19 infections for two days in a row on Friday.
• New coronavirus infections have risen sharply in India in the last three days.
• Kerala has accounted for nearly 60% of the new cases in the past week, followed by 16% in Maharashtra.

India’s central government has urged the states of Kerala and Maharashtra to enact night curfews in areas with spiking coronavirus infection numbers as India recorded over 40,000 new COVID-19 cases for two days in a row today.

Coronavirus cases dwindled to a 5-month low of 25,166 in the middle of August but have risen sharply in the last three days, mainly in Kerala that recently held a major festival during which families typically come together.

India reported 44,658 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, taking the total to 32.6 million, the most in the world after the United States. Deaths rose by 496 to 436,861.

Kerala, on India’s southern tip, has accounted for nearly 60 percent of the new cases in the past week and more than half of the total active cases, followed by 16 percent in the western state of Maharashtra.

“More efforts would be required to arrest the increase in infections,” the federal home ministry said in a statement on Thursday evening after its secretary held a meeting with the two states, during which Kerala and Maharashtra were asked to “explore the possibility of placing night curfew in areas of high positivity”.

The minister also assured additional supplies of COVID-19 vaccines will be sent to the two states.

India has so far administered more than 611 million vaccine doses, giving at least one dose to more than half of its 944 million adults and the required two doses to about 15 percent.