New Delhi, Apr 12 (IANS): The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on Sunday said that a resurge in the cases of novel Coronavirus cases in countries such as China, Japan and South Korea was a cause for concern.

Joint Secretary of the Health Ministry, Lav Agarwal, told media at a press conference that most of the facts about the novel coronavirus are still unknown, therefore, maintaining social distancing is the only key in combating COVID-19.

He suggested that people should follow social distancing even after the lockdown is lifted.

"Not much is known about this virus. Different facts about it are continuously coming before us on a daily basis and we are reacting accordingly. A resurge of cases in China, Japan and South Korea in the last few days, is a cause for concern. It is very important to ensure that we continue to follow our containment and social distancing measures like we are following today," said Agarwal.

The Joint Health Secretary stressed social distancing even after the lockdown period gets over.

"We will always insist that even if lockdown is not there, every individual in the country should maintain social distancing. We have been consistently highlighting that social distancing is a very important component in fighting coronavirus because it is an infectious disease," said Agarwal.

The total number of coronavirus cases in India, on Sunday, stood at 8,446, of these, 764 people have been cured/discharged, 273 people died and 1 person migrated, as per the Health Ministry data.