NEW DELHI: In view of a surge in COVID-19 cases over the past week and in the weekly positivity rate, the Centre on Friday advised five states to maintain a strict watch and take pre-emptive action, if needed, to control any emerging spread of the infection.

In a letter to Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan highlighted that a few states were reporting a higher contribution to India’s caseload, indicating the possibility of a localised spread of the infection.

A slight upsurge in cases is being noticed across India, with 15,708 new infections being reported in a week ending on May 27, which rose to 21,055 cases in a week ending on June 3, the Health Secretary stated.

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