India Records World's Highest Single-Day Coronavirus Cases At 78,761

India plans to proceed with the fourth phase of its ongoing campaign to ease social distancing restrictions Tuesday despite reporting a world record for new cases in a single day Sunday.

India reported 78,761 new cases in 24 hours, surpassing the previous high of 77,299 posted by the U.S. on July 17. It was the fourth straight day India's number of daily COVID-19 cases exceeded 75,000.

The unrestrained surge pushed India's total confirmed cases to more than 3.5 million, the third highest worldwide after the U.S. (6 million) and Brazil (3.8 million). Eight Indian states account for nearly 73% of total infections.

"It is the largest one-day surge in cases worldwide and the reason behind this, because the pandemic is spreading in the rural areas," Dr. Manoj Kumar, a cardiologist, told Reuters.

Indian public health experts say the country now has the fastest-growing daily coronavirus caseload of any country in the world. This nation of 1.4 billion persons has suffered 63,000 deaths from the disease, the world's third highest death toll, and is averaging some 1,000 COVID-19 deaths daily.

With the virus spreading quickly among India's vast rural population, public health experts warn September might be the most difficult month yet, but that isn't stopping India from proceeding with its plans to curtail some social distancing restrictions.

The sustained rise in cases is calling into question New Delhi's decision to impliment the fourth phase of its ongoing plan lifting lockdowns across this country. This easing, called Unlock 4.0, will begin Sept. 1. New Delhi began locking down the country in March to stanch the spread of the disease.

The government of prime minister Narendra Modi, however, began easing those strict restrictions in June with the reopening of industrial activities and offices across the country. Shopping malls, religious places and unrestricted intra- and inter-state travel were later allowed to reopen.

However, schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions, which were shut down March 23, will remain closed. Metro rail services have remained suspended.

Unlock 4.0 will see metro train services resume beginning Tuesday but states will make the final call on reopening their rapid transport networks. There will be no immediate reopening of schools and other educational institutions.

Indian media reports that regular international flights are unlikely to resume during Unlock 4.0. Movie theaters will remain shut for the time being.

India also attributes the spike in cases to increased testing efforts. The country currently conducts more than 1 million tests per day compared to only 200,000 a few months ago.