This archive report was first published on 5 July 2020.
On July 5, 2020, India witnessed a significant surge in COVID-19 cases, with a record 24-hour spike of just under 25,000 cases and 613 deaths.
This marked the biggest daily increase since the first case was detected in late January, bringing India's total tally to over 673,000 cases and 19,268 deaths.
As the capital city, New Delhi, grappled with the crisis, it converted a spiritual centre into a sprawling isolation facility and hospital with 10,000 beds, many made of cardboard and chemically coated for waterproofing.
The facility, spanning an area roughly the size of 20 football fields, will treat mild symptomatic and asymptomatic cases.
State government officials expressed concerns that Delhi, home to 25 million people, could record more than half-a-million cases by the end of the month.
Despite a strict lockdown in place since late March, which has gradually been lifted, the number of cases across the vast nation of 1.3 billion people has climbed steeply, nearing the numbers seen in Russia.
Measures to contain the spread of the virus include mandatory mask-wearing in public places, large gatherings banned, and social distancing enforced in shops and other public establishments.
The western state of Maharashtra, the worst-hit state, recorded over 7,000 new cases, while Southern Tamil Nadu state and Delhi recorded more than 4,200 and 2,500 fresh cases respectively.
Critics have alleged that India is conducting very few tests, leaving the true scale of the pandemic unknown.
