South Korea's southeastern port city of Busan will raise its social distancing level from One-point-Five to Two starting Friday amid signs of a resurgence of COVID-19.

Yoon Tae-ho, a senior Health Ministry official, said on Thursday that new cases in Busan and the South Gyeongsang cities of Jinju and Geoje have slightly begun to decline after a recent surge.

Casting concerns over a resurgence outside the Seoul metropolitan area, Yoon said other municipal governments are also considering raising levels from One-point-Five.

The official, however, said no specific discussions have taken place yet on raising the level in the capital area, despite new cases being on the rise.

He said authorities will review adjustments to current levels effective until April 11 after monitoring the situation this week.