The Latest: Cases soaring in New Delhi ahead of festival

The Latest: Cases soaring in New Delhi ahead of festivalCoronavirus infections continue to soar in India's capital as the country heads into a festival weekend that sees large gatherings

By The Associated Press

November 12, 2020, 4:40 AM

• 11 min read

An artist wearing face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus gives final touches to decorative items ahead of Diwali, in Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020. Health officials have warned about the potential for the coronavirus to spread during the upcoming religious festival season, which is marked by huge gatherings in temples and shopping districts. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

NEW DELHI — Coronavirus infections are continuing to soar in India’s capital as the country heads into a festival weekend that sees large gatherings.

New Delhi reported 8,593 newly confirmed cases Thursday, up from 7,830 cases a day earlier as people crowd shopping areas ahead of Saturday’s observances of Diwali — an important Hindu festival of lights. The Delhi government projects that new coronavirus cases will be nearly 12,000 daily by the end of November.

India’s infections overall continue came in at 47,905 new cases, a rise from 44,281 cases reported Wednesday. The Health Ministry also reported 550 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities to 128,121.

India’s tally of more than 8.6 million confirmed cases is the second largest in the world behind the United States.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— Britain is 5th nation to reach 50,000 coronavirus deaths

— Italy reaches 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases

— Texas surpasses 1 million virus cases, 1st state in U.S.

— European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde: Recovery bumpy until vaccine widespread

— Texas tops 1 million cases as COVID-19 surge engulfs the US

— Hong Kong and Singapore will start an air travel bubble this month, allowing travelers from each city to visit the other without entering quarantine.

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Follow AP’s coronavirus pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is beseeching people in his state to take the surging spread of coronavirus infections seriously.

He made the plea Wednesday as he issued new orders on mask enforcement in businesses, gatherings across the state. He also is threatening to close bars, restaurants and fitness centers if cases continue to rise.

DeWine shifted the authority of mask enforcement from local counties to state officials. If a business receives more than one violation it will have to close for 24 hours.

But the governor’s orders are not as far-reaching as in March, when Ohio became one of the first states to go into lockdown.

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Health authorities in New Zealand say the country has a coronavirus case for which they haven't been able to determine the source of the infection. It is a blow for a nation that has been largely successful in its attempts to eliminate community spread of the virus.

Authorities said Thursday that they are urgently investigating the recent movements and possible sources of infection for the affected Auckland student, who also works at a clothing store.

So far the government hasn’t raised the alert level for New Zealand or imposed any new restrictions.

Since the pandemic began, New Zealand has reported about 2,000 confirmed cases and 25 deaths from COVID-19.

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