Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on Wednesday that the government will consider placing Seoul and its immediate vicinity under its harshest social distancing protocols unless the number of daily COVID-19 infections drops in the next two to three days.

The remarks came as daily COVID-19 cases in South Korea surpassed 12-hundred on Wednesday, the highest since December 25 of last year and the first time the figure topped one-thousand since January 4. 

The prime minister said that the government will maintain current social distancing measures for another week, but could impose its most severe Level 4 protocols if the number does not drop within the next two to three days. 

Kim said that health authorities initially planned to allow private gatherings of up to six people in the capital region from Thursday under an eased distancing scheme. 

But he said the government will maintain its ban on private gatherings of more than five people for the time being on concerns about the spread of the virus.

The government decided to conduct extensive and preemptive testing and actively recommend young people to get tested.