India's Maharashtra state imposes 15-day lockdown to slow COVID-19 spread

India's richest state, Maharashtra, will be under lockdown beginning Wednesday night for 15 days to slow rising COVID-19 infections, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Tuesday.

Maharashtra, home to India's financial capital Mumbai, has been the country's worst-hit state, accounting for about a quarter of its 13.5 million cases.

The country's health ministry said Tuesday it will also fast-track emergency approvals for COVID-19 vaccines authorized by Western countries and Japan, paving the way for possible imports of Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna shots.

India has reported the highest daily tallies of infections since April 2. It reported 161,736 cases on Tuesday, taking the total to 13.7 million, while deaths rose by 879 to 171,058.

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