President Moon Jae-in said on Monday the pace of new coronavirus infections in South Korea has been slowing and stressed the trend must continue.

Presiding over a meeting of his senior aides, Moon said the number of new cases peaked at 916 on February 28 and has been steadily declining since then, with 248  cases reported Sunday.

It was the first time in 12 days the daily infection count dipped below 300.

President Moon said the trend of declining infections must continue so South Korea can stabilize its epidemic and be seen as an exemplary model of how to tackle COVID-19.

However, he advised caution against excessive optimism, noting that small-scale cluster infections are still being reported in various areas.

Moon also thanked the public for cooperating with quarantine efforts and asked people to continue refraining from mass gatherings, including religious events.