India's COVID-19 death toll jumped by a record 3,689 deaths of Sunday, the highest single-day rise since the start of the pandemic, taking the country's death toll to more than 215,000.
Nearly 10 Indian states and union territories have imposed some form of restrictions, even as the federal government remains reluctant to impose a national lockdown. The Indian Express newspaper reported on Sunday that the country's COVID-19 taskforce has advised the federal government to impose a national lockdown.
The federal government fears another lockdown will have a devastating impact on the economy. The lockdown imposed last year after the first COVID-19 outbreak led to job losses as economic output fell a record 24 per cent in April to June 2020, compared with the same period a year earlier.