Some shops and businesses opened in rural India on Monday as part of a staggered exit from a weeks-long lockdown that has left millions out of work and short of food. The development comes amid reports that coronavirus infections rose by more than 1,500 over the previous day.
India’s population of 1.3 billion has been under one of the world’s toughest lockdowns, with people forbidden from stepping out of their homes until May 3, except to buy food and medicines.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government said some activities, including factories and farming, would be allowed from Monday in the hinterland, which has been less badly hit by Covid-19. Around 4,000 factories resumed operations in western Gujarat, while small businesses reopened in the rural parts of India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh.
The country had 17,264 cases of coronavirus infections as of Monday, and more than 60 percent of these were from five of the 28 states. Health officials have focused their efforts on the most affected areas, such as Delhi and Mumbai, while allowing other states to re-start activities, officials say. India has reported 17,264 coronavirus cases, including 543 deaths, Reuters said.