India registered a record jump of 83 deaths and 2,487 cases in 24 hours as the number of COVID-19 fatalities rose to 1,306 and total cases climbed to 40,263 on Sunday, according to the Union health ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 28,070, while 10,886 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said. The total number of cases also include 111 foreign nationals.
Earlier on Sunday morning, the Indian Air Force, Army and Navy joined hands to express gratitude to healthcare workers, police and others at the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19. Indian Air Force's jets and transport planes showered flower petals in a show of support.
The performances were the third public show of gratitude to frontline workers after citizens took part in nationwide clapping and lamp lighting efforts led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on previous Sundays.
"The entire nation stands united in these challenging times," Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted as he lauded the "commendable work" of the "frontline warriors".
The lockdown was extended for another two weeks by the government on Friday, although some restrictions were lifted in regions that have lower numbers of coronavirus cases.