The government will provide compensation equivalent to well over half of the minimum wage to workers taking sick leave due to COVID-19 or other infectious diseases under a pilot project that kicks off next month.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, who doubles as a deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures, announced the plan on Wednesday.

Under the one-year project, those living in six designated areas around the nation, including Jongno District in Seoul, will receive 60 percent of the minimum wage during the period in which they cannot go to work due to a qualifying illness.

The other regions include Bucheon in Gyeonggi Province, Cheonan in South Chungcheong Province, Suncheon in South Jeolla Province, Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province and Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province.

The pilot project is aimed at fostering social conditions that encourage taking sick leave amid its growing importance following the COVID-19 pandemic, the minister said. According to a 2021 survey, only around 46 percent of workers in the nation take paid sick leave.