India has reported a record daily jump of 7,964 new Covid-19 infections, with a recent surge in cases as lockdown restrictions start to be relaxed raising the possibility that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could extend curbs beyond May 31.

In an open letter marking one year into his second term, Modi appealed to the country’s population of 1.3 billion to follow all lockdown rules to stop the spread of the pandemic, Reuters reports.

The prime minister said there was a “long battle” ahead against the novel coronavirus.

“Our country [is] besieged with problems amidst a vast population and limited resources,” Modi said, adding that labourers and migrant workers had “undergone tremendous suffering” due to restrictions.