The announcements come even though daily numbers of new coronavirus infections has fallen sharply in India in recent weeks, including in Maharashtra, whose capital Mumbai is home to one of Asia's biggest slums. The Maharashtra government said that the night curfew beginning on Tuesday would last until January 5. On Monday, India joined other countries in suspending all flights from Britain -- home to a large Indian diaspora -- starting from Tuesday night until December 31. India has reported the world's second-largest number of coronavirus infections after the United States and crossed the 10-million caseload mark last week. The Indian government hopes to start vaccinating the population early next year, including an initial 300 million people from high-risk groups and healthcare workers.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 22, 2020 10:52 UTC