Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Sunday that the government will extend the current social distancing levels for another two weeks.

Currently, Seoul and its surrounding areas of Gyeonggi Province and Incheon are under Level Two-point-Five measures, the second-highest in the country's five-tier scheme, while the other parts of the nation are under Level Two. Bans on gatherings of five or more people are also in place almost across the country.

Chairing a government meeting on COVID-19 responses, Chung said that the current social distancing levels and quarantine regulations will remain for another two weeks until the end of the Lunar New Year holiday next month.

Chung announced the decision, citing lingering virus concerns amid recent cluster infections linked to the missionary society IM, as well as hospitals and workplaces. 

In addition, the prime minister said Pfizer vaccines purchased through the COVAX facility, a global initiative led by the World Health Organization, will arrive in the country as early as mid-February. He said the vaccines are for about 60-thousand people, or 117-thousand doses. 

Chung added that the nation will receive AstraZeneca vaccines for up to two-point-19 million people in the first half of this year, with 600-thousand doses to be supplied in February or March.