Several Indian cities have prepared to extend their lockdowns to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, as daily cases in the country remained close to 20,000.

India reported 18,522 new cases over the previous 24 hours, according to federal health data, down slightly from Sunday’s record of 19,906.

According to a Reuters report, with more than 550,000 total infections, India lags only the United States, Brazil and Russia in total cases.

More than 16,000 people have died in India — a low figure when compared with countries with similar numbers of cases — though experts fear its hospitals will be unable to cope with a steep rise in cases.