Health authorities have urged the public to maintain their vigilance as the nation is at the crossroad for a possible fourth wave of COVID-19 infections. 

Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said in a press briefing on Sunday that the nation is standing at a crossroads between achieving herd immunity through vaccination and facing a fourth wave of infections.

Kwon said daily infections have hovered around 500 over the past week and the virus reproduction rate has surpassed one, warning that the number of daily cases could surpass one-thousand in a short time.

He said the government will have to raise social distancing levels in case of a spike in infections, calling on the public to cooperate on quarantine measures. 

The minister said that health authorities will conduct on-site inspections to ensure that certain businesses and workplaces are complying with the toughened quarantine guidelines.