The government has urged caution just ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, which begins Thursday, reminding the public that the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has not yet come to an end.

In a Wednesday briefing, Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho said the decline in cases has stagnated and the danger of another surge still exists. Daily cases rose to over 400 on Wednesday after five days of sitting in the 200s and 300s.

Yoon expressed concern over movement in the capital region being up about 30 percent from early last month, while 78 percent of all cases reported in the past week came from Seoul and its surrounding areas.

He noted that while the nationwide virus reproduction rate has inched closer to one, in the metro area it has surpassed one. This refers to the number of infections caused by one patient with a reading over one means the disease is spreading.

Yoon urged citizens to abide by distancing rules and refrain from traveling and visiting relatives. A ban on personal gatherings of five or more people also remains in place throughout the holiday.