New Delhi has ordered the closure of non-essential offices and restaurants and bars but is offering free online yoga classes to those in home isolation, as Covid-19 cases soar in the Indian capital and nationwide, reports AFP.

With case numbers rising six-fold over the past week, the Indian government is terrified of a repeat of last year when thousands died of the virus every day and the health system teetered on the brink of collapse.

While stopping short of a full lockdown, authorities have steadily increased restrictions nationwide and capacity at private offices and eateries in the capital was already restricted to 50 per cent.

But those in home isolation can take free online yoga classes, with Delhi's chief minister Arvind Kejriwal saying that it would help patients “boost their immunity and attain mental and spiritual peace”.