Shawdesh Desk:

India on Monday registered nearly 87,000 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours and 1,130 deaths.

With the Health Ministry’s announcement, India now has more than 5.4 million reported cases since the pandemic began, reports AP.

India’s coronavirus caseload is expected to surpass that of the United States, currently with the most reported cases, within weeks.

India’s total deaths in the pandemic now stand at 87,882.

More than 60 percent of the active cases are concentrated in five of 28 Indian states: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

Despite the steady increase in cases, the government has continued to relax virus restrictions in order to help an economy that contracted 24 percent in the second quarter.

On Monday, the iconic Taj Mahal was reopened after a six-month closure, the longest in its history.

There will be some restrictions such as compulsory mask-wearing, thermal screening of visitors and physical distancing at the monument.

Data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University put the number of globally confirmed cases at 31,032,045 with 960,729 deaths.

Coronavirus cases were first reported in China in December last year. The World Health Organization declared the crisis a pandemic in March.

Bangladesh has so far confirmed 348,918 cases and 4,939 deaths, according to JHU data. The country reported its first cases on March 8 and the first death on March 18.

There is currently no vaccine for the virus although a number of promising candidates are in the final stage of trial.