Over 700 teachers die of coronavirus after poll duty in Indian state

NEW DELHI: More than 700 teachers have died of coronavirus in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh because of poll duty, a teachers’ union said Friday.

Thursday was the last day of the four-phase local body elections in Uttar Pradesh that began in the first week of April, despite a catastrophic surge in COVID-19 infections across the country.

India on Friday reported over 386,000 new coronavirus cases and over 3,500 related deaths, its highest daily death toll since the beginning of the pandemic.