The government is seriously considering raising the social distancing level by one notch to Level One-point-Five for the greater Seoul area and Gangwon Province amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. 

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Sunday in a meeting of quarantine officials that the government has issued a "preliminary warning" for the capital region and Gangwon Province ahead of enforcing tougher measures. 

Under the country's new five-tier distancing scheme, Level One rules are imposed when the number of daily new cases stays below 100 in the Greater Seoul area and below ten in Gangwon Province. The average figure for the capital region reached 83-point-four a day last week, while the number for Gangwon came to eleven-point-one. 

In a special address on Sunday, Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo urged the public to stay vigilant against the virus to contain the spread, adding tougher rules could disrupt daily routines and livelihoods.

Park said that the government will consult with municipalities on whether to raise the level of social distancing in the two areas, taking into account various indicators such as the proportion of patients aged 60 or over as well as treatment capacity for critically ill patients.