People trickled into religious shrines in India on Monday as the federal government lifted most restrictions on public places, even as the country added a record number of infections in a single day.
India's total number of coronavirus cases reached 256,611, the health ministry said, just behind Spain after a record one-day jump of 9,983 infections.
Only the United States, Brazil, Russia, and the United Kingdom have more cases, and health experts say India's peak could still be weeks away, if not months.
After imposing a severe lockdown in March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is under pressure to fully open up the economy and get people back to work to prevent mass distress.
It ordered shopping malls, places of worship, and restaurants to open under a set of guidelines meant to prevent a further surge of infections in the world's second-most-populous country.
Temples across the nation is all set to reopen from June 08. Sanitization work in temples is underway. Priests have urged devotees..
Religious places are prepping up to reopen from June 8 as per the directions of the Central government. Social distancing norms..