68,020 new COVID-19 cases, 291 deaths reported in last 24 hours in India

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India has continued to witness a surge in COVID-19 cases as 68,020 coronavirus fresh infections and 291 related deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total caseload of the country to over 1.20 crore.

The country also reported 32,231 recoveries on Sunday, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,13,55,993, informed the union health ministry on Monday morning. The total number of active cases in the country stands at 5,21,808. India's COVID-19 death toll has also reached 1,61,843. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 9,13,319 samples were tested on Sunday. The total number of samples tested until now has reached 24,18,64,161.

Maharashtra continues to be the biggest contributing, reporting 40,414 new COVID-19 cases and 108 related deaths in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday instructed senior officials of the State Health Department and the COVID task force to prepare for lockdown as people in the state continue to violate COVID-19 protocols.

Meanwhile, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain has said that a second Covid lockdown in the national capital is "not a solution". "As of now, there is no possibility of another lockdown. We had tried it earlier with not much success. Experts had said that due to its 14-day cycle (of the infection), a 21-day lockdown would stop the spread of the virus but that did not happen. So for me, lockdown is no solution," Jain had said on Saturday.

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