India recorded 69,652 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours taking the coronavirus tally in the country to 28,36,926 including 6,86,395 active cases. The number of cured, discharged stood at 20,96,665, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Thursday. The death toll has reached 53,866 with 977 casualties in the last one day. 

The government said that more than nine lakh tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has given approval for the reopening of hotels and weekly markets on trial basis. However, the government has not allowed gyms to open yet.

The Arvind Kejriwal government had earlier this month re-sent a proposal to Lt Governor Anil Baijal about reopening hotels and weekly markets in view of the current COVID-19 situation in Delhi. Baijal had previously overturned a similar decision of the AAP dispensation, news agency PTI reported.

India continues to be the third worst-affected nation after the United States and Brazil. While the US has reported over 5.6 million COVID-19 cases with 175,074 deaths, Brazil has reported over 3.4 million COVID-19 cases and 110,019 deaths.