India's festive mood raises fears of surge of coronavirus The crowds filling shopping areas ahead of the Diwali festival of lights are raising hopes of India’s distressed business community after months of lockdown lossesNEW DELHI -- The crowds filling shopping areas ahead of the Diwali festival of lights on Saturday are raising hopes of India's distressed business community after months of lockdown losses but also spawning fears of a massive coronavirus upsurge. "The past three days have seen a tremendous increase in customer footfall in shopping markets for festival purchases,” he said. India has confirmed more than 8.7 million cases of coronavirus infection, second-most in the world, and more than 128,600 fatalities. Traders are hoping for the Diwali festival sales touching $8 million, Khandelwal said. For India’s nearly 70 million traders, who employ about 400 million people, an upturn could not come fast enough.

Source: ABC News November 13, 2020 06:33 UTC