The third wave in South Korea's COVID-19 pandemic rages on with a record 950 new infections reported Friday, the highest figure since the start of the outbreak.

The latest tally is higher than the 909 recorded in late February at the peak of the first surge during the Daegu outbreak.

Daily cases topped 600 for three straight days before soaring into the 900s.

The surge is due to large scale cluster infections popping up again at churches and convalescent hospitals in the greater capital area, while small clusters also continue to rise. 

Academies, restaurants, hobby clubs and various gatherings of family and friends are spreading the virus.

The government has decided to sharply expand preemptive testing in the Seoul metro area to quickly identify transmission links and curb the spread.

Starting Monday and for a period of three weeks, anyone, regardless of their symptoms, can be tested for free, anonymously.

Temporary test centers will open at some 150 busy locations in the metropolitan area.

In addition to the existing cotton swab method, saliva and rapid antigen tests will also be utilized.

Related manpower will also be increased to reduce the fatigue of epidemiological inspectors. Over 800 civil servants, police officers and solders will be dispatched to Seoul and the surrounding areas to support the process.