The number of infections in India neared 900,000 on Monday with a record 28,701 cases reported in the past 24 hours. Several Indian states imposed weekend curfews and locked down high-risk areas as its coronavirus cases surge.

The total of 878,254 is behind only the United States and Brazil. The Health Ministry on Monday also reported another 500 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking India's total fatalities from Covid-19 up to 23,174.

The ministry said the recovery rate was continuing to improve at 63 per cent.

New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Pune are among the Indian cities witnessing a surge in infections. Several states introduced weekend curfews and announced stringent lockdowns in high-risk areas to slow infections.

India imposed a national lockdown March 24 that lasted more than two months, but it has mostly reopened.