India halts cricket league as cases surge past 20m
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India halted its hugely popular cricket league yesterday as COVID-19 infections surged past 20 million in the world鈥檚 second-most populous country and the opposition leader said a nationwide lockdown was now the only way out.
Cricket officials suspended the money-spinning Indian Premier League as the pandemic spirals out of control, with the country adding 10 million cases in just over four months, after taking more than 10 months to reach the first 10 million.
鈥淲hile we have tried to bring in some positivity and cheer, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times,鈥 the IPL said.
With 3.45 million active cases, India recorded 357,229 new infections over the last 24 hours, while deaths rose by 3,449 to 222,408, health ministry data showed. According to a Reuters tally, total infections were more than 20.2 million, second only to the United States.
鈥淭he only way to stop the spread of corona now is a full lockdown ... GOI鈥檚 inaction is killing many innocent people,鈥 opposition Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter, referring to the government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi鈥檚 government, widely criticized for allowing religious festivals and political gatherings attended by hundreds of thousands of largely unmasked people, is reluctant to impose a national lockdown for fear of the economic fallout, but several states have imposed curbs.
The state of Bihar ordered a lockdown until May 15. With more than 100,000 infections, its death toll is nearing 3,000, government figures show.
The IPL tournament, with an estimated brand value of US$6.8 billion, was being played without spectators to a huge television audience in the cricket-obsessed nation but has been severely criticized for continuing while the healthcare system is falling apart.
The surge of the highly infectious Indian variant of the coronavirus has swamped hospitals and depleted supplies of oxygen, while sufferers have died in ambulances and car parks.
Some hope surfaced in comments on Monday by a health ministry official who said infections in some regions were levelling out. Government modelling points to a peak today, a few days earlier than thought, since the virus has spread faster than expected.
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