India's capital New Delhi imposed an immediate nightly curfew on Tuesday due to a "sudden increase in COVID-19 cases" and a "high positivity rate," the Delhi regional government said.

The curfew was announced after India recorded more than 100,000 new daily cases on Monday for the first time, and nearly 97,000 on Tuesday.

Delhi reported some 3,550 new positive cases on Monday. This remains below its peak of almost 9,000 in November 2020, when it was one of the worst-hit cities across the country.

The public movement ban will be in place each night from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time.

Only essential services or people traveling to and from vaccination centers will be allowed on the streets.

It is set to remain in place until April 30.

The New Delhi restrictions follow shortly after the state of Maharashtra, where the financial capital Mumbai is located, announced a weekend lockdown and night curfew on its population of 110 million on Sunday. 

Over the past week, India has recorded more infections than any other country in the world, and the state of Maharashtra currently accounts for more than half of new cases reported each day.