NEW DELHI: In India now the country with the third-highest confirmed number of coronavirus cases in the world, there were more than 24,000 new infections recorded in the last 24 hours that means the total stands at around 700,000 and the number of deaths is now close to 20,000. our correspondent in Mumbai Akita LeMay has more there's been particularly a surge reported from southern India the death toll there as you pointed out is around 20,000 but I think there are serious questions about whether that is an understated number as well Indian authorities have been repeatedly pointing out that even though the number of cases, on the whole, are rising the mortality rate in India seems to be lower than other countries with a comparable number of cases but over the past many weeks we've spoken to frontline doctors who say that deaths are not being properly counted.
sometimes you know the comorbidity that a person might have is listed on the death certificate rather than coded 19 in some places they've told us that people who were brought in dead even if they had covered like symptoms are not tested and therefore they're not counted among koba deaths and finally you know of course even before coronavirus hit India the system of recording deaths sometimes you know is much delayed and therefore there are worries that the number of deaths could actually be far lower than the actual mortality that we've seen in India because of coronavirus Yogi's and yet this is the country with one of the strictest lockdowns anywhere in the world that's right and you know in Mumbai where I am which has which is the city with the highest number of deaths for example there's been a very nominal easing of restrictions we have had public transport back on the streets to some extent there are restrictions on how many people can be in a vehicle only 10% of staff with private officers can actually go to work everyone else has to work from home .
even now there are checkpoints around the city to ensure that people are not going out unnecessarily in some other parts of the country because of the rising number of cases stringent lockdowns have been reimpose you know and then, in contrast, you know you have Delhi which is opening up monuments you know tourists sort of places up today even as the number of coronavirus cases is rising but leaders there say you know can we afford to keep the economy locked down we have to learn to live with this virus now so a real tightrope walk for leaders in different parts of India.
