Modi warns of virus spreading China Daily | Updated: 2021-05-15 09:47 Share CLOSE Family members mourn a man who died of COVID-19 before his cremation at a crematorium ground in Giddenahalli village on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India, May 13, 2021. [Photo/Agencies] Variant found in Americas, though US eases mask rules on progress Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has warned people to take extra precautions as the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak is spreading fast to rural areas where nearly two-thirds of India's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Modi, during a speech at a farmers' convention in New Delhi on Friday, urged people living in rural areas, village councils and state governments to come together to meet the challenge. Modi said the army, navy and the air force have joined the fight against the pandemic in the country.