This archive report was first published on 6 July 2020.
As of July 6, 2020, India has become the third hardest-hit country for COVID-19 cases, with over 697,400 cases recorded, a rise of 24,000 in 24 hours, according to the health ministry.
India's major cities, including New Delhi and Mumbai, have been worst hit by the pandemic, with each city reporting over 100,000 cases and thousands of deaths.
Despite the surge in cases, the government has sought to ease a nationwide lockdown in a bid to counter the hit taken by the economy since it started in March.
However, the clampdown has been tightened in some cities, including the eastern metropolis of Kolkata, which halted flights from other major Indian cities on Monday and set up dozens of containment zones.
Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of southern Kerala state, has also been locked down, with public transport shut and only pharmacies allowed to open, after hundreds of new cases were reported across the state.
Experts predict that India's tally of cases will continue to rise for several more weeks, with one million cases expected by the end of July.
