The confirmed infections have neared the 40,000-mark and the death toll has reached 1,301, including 83 deaths in the last 24 hours, which also saw 2,600 new cases.

The six-week lockdown, which was supposed to end last Monday, has been extended another two weeks, with a few relaxations. The lockdown has slowed the spread of the virus, but has come at the enormous economic cost.

The Indian Air Force on Sunday conducted fly-pasts and showered flower petals on hospitals across cities, including New Delhi, as part of efforts to thank medical and police personnel for being at the forefront of the battle against the pandemic

In other developments around the Asia-Pacific region:

— CHINA SLOWLY REOPENS: Chinese health authorities said two new coronavirus cases were confirmed on Sunday, as millions of domestic tourists flocked to newly reopened sites during a five-day holiday. Nearly 1.7 million people visited Beijing parks on the first two days of the holiday, and Shanghai's main tourist spots welcomed more than a million visitors, according to Chinese media reports. The surge comes after a relaxation of travel restrictions as the coronavirus outbreak slows in mainland China and the government tries to reboot the economy. China reported just three new cases in the last two days. One new case was in inland Shanxi province, west of Beijing, and the other was an imported one in Shanghai. China's official confirmed case count stands at 82,877. Most of the patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals. China reported no new deaths in the last 24 hours and has recorded just one in the past two weeks. The country's official death toll has reached 4,633.