The government plans to decide next week on whether to further put off introducing a relaxed set of social distancing protocols in the greater Seoul area amid a recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the metro region. 

Sohn Young-rae, a senior Health Ministry official, said in a media briefing on Thursday that the government will monitor developments until the weekend, and into early next week. He said it then will discuss with the regional governments in the metro area on possible measures from Monday and to Wednesday before making a final decision by in the middle of or later that week. 

Earlier in the day, 14 provinces and major cities across the nation adopted Level One protocols in a revamped four-tier distancing system and saw partial easing of quarantine rules, including those regarding private gatherings. 

However, Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province decided Wednesday to postpone adopting the new distancing system for a week amid growing concerns in a spike in cases in the region. 

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong also stressed the need to closely monitor developments, expressing concerns that easing rules may prompt an increase in personal interaction, which may spark an explosive surge in infections
in the Seoul metro area.

Authorities cited several reasons behind their reluctance, including the overwhelming percentage of recent new daily cases which occurred in Seoul and the greater metro area, accounting for more than 80 percent of the total, and the rise in infections involving those in their 20s and 30s who are socially active and have yet to receive vaccine shots. The confirmation of several cases involving the Delta variant of the virus in the region was another cause for concern.