NEW DELHI — India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged citizens to remain cautious ahead of the upcoming festival season amid concerns that the pandemic may surge again in the country.

In his televised address to the nation, Modi on Tuesday reiterated that people should continue taking precautions, maintain physical distancing and not lower their guard during the festival season. This was Modi’s seventh address to the nation since the pandemic began.

“If you are negligent, you are putting the lives of others at risk,” said Modi.

Faced with a stalled economy, India is slowly opening ahead of the upcoming festive season. Health experts have warned gatherings during major festivals and in November have the potential to spread the virus.

In the last month, India has had declining cases on a week-to-week basis even though the country’s overall virus caseload has neared 7.6 million, behind only the U.S. On Tuesday, India reported over 46,000 cases of the coronavirus, the lowest in three months. It reported 578 confirmed deaths.

Overall, there’s been 115,000 confirmed deaths in India, third highest in the world.