Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun stated that it's too early to say that the COVID-19 situation is stabilizing in the country and that circumstances in the greater metro area are not improving much.

The prime minister gave the assessment on Tuesday while presiding over a government meeting on COVID-19 in Sejong City.

Chung said that three out of four local cases still come from the greater Seoul area and the index for transmission reproduction surpassed one recently. 

The prime minister called for citizens' cooperation in the government's quarantine efforts ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. 

Regarding protests by self-employed businesses over continued restrictions, Chung said the government is considering various support measures to mitigate their pain and called for their cooperation in quarantine measures. 

The prime minister also said that telecom companies have decided to offer free video calls during the holiday, urging citizens to refrain from traveling during the period.