Anchor: South Korea saw its daily COVID-19 cases remain in the 300s for the second straight day as the government is gearing up to curb further spread of the virus ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. It devised special measures for the holidays in addition to extending major quarantine guidelines for two more weeks. 
Our Bae Joo-yon has the details. 

Report: The government has extended its social distancing levels for another two weeks as it tries to gauge the trajectory of the country's novel coronavirus trend. 

Chairing a government meeting on COVID-19 response, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday that the social distancing levels and quarantine regulations will remain through the end of the Lunar New Year holiday on February 14th.

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. Other parts of the nation are under Level Two. 

Bans on private gatherings of five or more people will also stay in place across the country during the extended period.
 
Also in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19, the government decided to collect highway toll fees during the holiday as it urged citizens not to travel during the typically busy transit season.

South Korea reported 305 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, marking the second day in a row the daily figure remained in the 300s. The nation recorded 355 new infections on Sunday, the first time in five days the figure fell below 400. 

Prime Minister Chung on Monday said the government will consider easing quarantine measures before the Lunar New Year holiday if it is confident the virus situation is stabilizing. He also urged for citizens' patience and cooperation with the government's quarantine efforts.  

Currently, the government judges it's too early to accurately assess the COVID-19 situation. 

Health Ministry official Son Young-rae said on Monday that the government will comprehensively review the situation including whether last week's daily tally of 400 to 500 cases was a temporary phenomenon or a shift to another surge, and then review an adjustment in social distancing measures.

Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.