Asia Today: New Delhi cases spike again ahead of Diwali fest

NEW DELHI (AP) — India reported 47,905 new cases of coronavirus infection, with New Delhi setting another daily record Thursday.

The surge of 8,593 cases in the nation's capital is the highest for any major Indian city and comes as people crowd shopping areas ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, on Saturday.

Deaths, too, are climbing again, with 85 in New Delhi in the past 24 hours. Deaths are a lagging indicator of the virus due to long periods of illness and medical treatment.

Overall, India’s new cases held steady. The Health Ministry reported 550 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities to 128,121.

India’s confirmed cases -- currently the second most in the world behind the United States – has exceeded 8.6 million.

Meanwhile, the New Delhi High Court ordered authorities to take the surging coronavirus spread seriously because people were ignoring masks and social distancing norms.

The Delhi government says cases are projected to rise to nearly 12,000 a day by the end of November and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to the federal health ministry stating that its hospitals would need over 20,000 more beds to treat patients.

In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:

— Health officials in New Zealand have asked people who work in central Auckland to stay home on Friday or limit their movements while they continue to investigate a coronavirus case from an undetermined source. Authorities say they’re urgently investigating the recent movements of the Auckland student who works at a clothing store. They say the student lives next door to a hotel where people arriving from abroad are being quarantined, some of whom have tested positive over recent weeks. COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says authorities are...