Indian Covid-19 outbreak spreading to countryside

INDIA’S prime minister has warned people to take extra precautions as the devastating coronavirus outbreak is spreading fast to rural areas, where nearly two-thirds of the country’s 1.4 billion people live.

Narendra Modi urged local people, village councils and state governments to come together to meet the challenge.

Mr Modi said the army, navy and the air force have joined the fight against the pandemic across the country.

“We have lost a lot of near ones. I am feeling the pain people are suffering,” Mr Modi said on Friday in a speech at a farmers’ convention.

It was reported yesterday that India had 326,098 new infections, bringing its tally to 24.37 million.

This is the smallest daily increase in coronavirus infections in nearly three weeks.

Another 3,890 people have died, raising total fatalities to 266,207 since the pandemic began.

All of the figures are almost certainly a vast undercount, experts say.