COVID-19: Amid surge in coronavirus cases, Centre deputes high-level teams to 10 states

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry has deputed high-level multi-disciplinary teams to as many as 10 states to work closely with the states and UT administration and determine the cause for the recent surge in the number of coronavirus cases.

The three-member multidisciplinary teams will be sent to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir for requisite COVID-19 control measures to break the chain of transmission and to support them in public health measures for targeted COVID response and management, according to the official release.

"The Centre has also written to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab and Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir which have been witnessing a rise in daily COVID cases, along with decreasing proportion of RT-PCR tests and rise in positivity in some districts," the release stated.

The health ministry advised states and UTs for regular critical review of the emerging situation with district officials concerned. 

The Union Health Secretary has also requested the Chief Secretaries of these ten states and UTs to provide time to these high-level central teams to debrief the respective Chief Secretaries at the conclusion of their state visits. 

The Health Secretary in his letter to seven states like Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir urged them to focus on undertaking aggressive measures to break the chain of transmission and to ensure that RT-PCR testing is increased.

"The Centre has reminded the states and UTs that any laxity in implementing stringent measures to curb the spread, especially in view of a new strain of virus observed in certain countries, could compound the situation," the official release read.