India's richest state says to impose new Covid-19 restrictions, weekend lockdown

India’s richest state, Maharashtra, said it would impose stringent Covid-19 restrictions from Monday as there has been a rapid rise in infections, a state minister said on Sunday

The state will shut down malls, cinema halls, bars and restaurants from Monday evening and impose a complete lockdown on weekends, Nawab Malik told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

Read more: Concerns grow in India over Covid-19 resurgence 

Coronavirus cases continue to rise rapidly in India with the number of new infections nearing all-time high on Sunday, largely driven by infections in Maharashtra, home to the country’s financial capital Mumbai.

The country reported 93,249 new cases in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, according to data from the federal Health Ministry. Maharashtra accounted for more than half of that with a record 49,447 new cases.