The government said on Sunday that tours to the truce village of Panmunjeom will be suspended again this week due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

The Unification Ministry announced its decision to temporarily suspend the tours from Tuesday, adding it has also consulted with the United Nations Command, which controls access to the Demilitarized Zone, including Panmunjeom.

The move comes just a month after the government resumed the tour program following a yearlong suspension over worries about African swine fever and the pandemic.

The ministry said it is hard to decide at the moment when to resume the tours, but it will do so as soon as the COVID-19 situation improves.