India Opens Up, But Threat of a Third COVID Wave Looms

NEW DELHI - Shoppers throng malls offering summer discounts in the Indian capital of New Delhi, tables at popular restaurants are nearly full, and the city’s roads are choked with traffic as a holiday weekend begins.

Nearly three months after the delta variant, the fittest and fastest version of the coronavirus so far, raced through the country’s densely packed cities and vast rural areas, places like Delhi and Mumbai, are humming -- markets are open, hawkers peddle their wares and public transport is back on streets. As many countries scramble to contain the delta variant, India, where it was first identified, has had a respite, except in the southern state of Kerala, which is reporting nearly half the country’s daily infections. However, threat of a third wave that might hit in the coming weeks looms over the country, although it will be less brutal, according to researchers who have made projections on the likely spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.