India's new coronavirus infections have topped 40,000 in a single day, Health Ministry figures show. The country has seen a rapid increase in cases since the government began easing lockdown restrictions in May.
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India reported a record 40,425 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, the Health Ministry said. The country also logged 681 deaths.
India is the world's third worst-hit country in the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 1.1 million cases and 27,497 fatalities, behind only the US and Brazil.
The infection rate in India has been rapidly rising since the government began to ease lockdown restrictions in mid-May. The country has logged a million new cases since then. Just one day ago, India reported a then-24-hour record of 38,902 new cases.
Coronavirus in India: Sikh temples in Delhi save millions from hunger
As Indian authorities struggle to contain COVID-19, Delhi's Sikh community has come together to feed millions of people with food cooked every day at gurdwaras.
Image: DW/S. Chabba
Delhi's historical gurdwaras
There are nearly 21 million Sikhs in India, making Sikhism the fourth-largest religion in the country. A pillar of Sikhism is "sewa" or service. Sikh temples, called "gurdwaras," offer free food to millions of people across the world.
Image: DW/S. Chabba
Coronavirus restrictions in place
Delhi's gurdwaras were closed to the public at the end of March when India went into lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Even with no devotees, gurdwara staff continued daily prayers and provided services to Delhi's needy. Last month, religious places reopened across India. As the public returned, preventive measures like temperature checks, hand sanitizers, and masks were implemented.
Image: DW/S. Chabba
Sikh community kitchens
According to Sikh philosophy, the faithful should not go home empty-handed. A visit to the gurdwara offers three things — lessons from Sikh gurus, "parshad" pastry made from whole-wheat flour, and a meal from the community kitchen.
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Thousands of meals prepared daily
The kitchens open every day at 3a.m. to prepare meals for nearly 100,000 people. Men and women get together to cook dal (lentils), roti (Indian flatbread) and rice. Funding is provided by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and donations from Sikh devotees.
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Over 20 locations served
The food is then loaded onto trucks and pick-up vans to be delivered across Delhi and neighboring cities like Noida and Ghaziabad. Localities are chosen on the basis of need, usually after other forms of aid have not been delivered. Government officials and local NGOs also request thousands of meals.
Image: DW/S. Chabba
Food for the needy
For Sikhs, helping someone in need is considered the highest virtue. Even before the truck pulls in, people stand in long lines and wait for their daily meal. Many people are in need: young men and women, street children, people with disabilities, and the elderly. Some families with no source of income, especially because of COVID-19, also receive rations that could last them weeks.
Image: DW/S. Chabba
A well-organized process
Two separate queues are formed — one for able-bodied men and another for women, the elderly and those with disabilities. The process of getting food is well organized, but in a country with over 1.3 billion people, physical distancing norms are hard to follow.
Image: DW/S. Chabba
Long lines in the sun
For many standing in the line, this is the only meal they will eat all day. Some even carry small packets to bring food for friends and family members who could not make it to the gurdwara's truck. For them, the langar has reached places even the government and aid organizations could not.
Image: DW/S. Chabba
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New Delhi and Mumbai have become epicenters of the outbreak, though new infections there have been declining in recent days. A number of regions, including the IT hub of Bengaluru and the resort city of Goa, have announced fresh lockdowns and restrictions amid the recent surge in cases.
The Health Ministry noted that India's COVID-19 fatality rate was "progressively falling," however, due to improved clinical management, containment techniques and testing. At 2.49%, the country's fatality rate is among the lowest in the world.
The country of 1.4 billion has ramped up testing, carrying out nearly 10,000 per million people, compared to just a few hundred in March.
