South Korea reported 869 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday as the nation is set to enforce stronger quarantine measures ahead of the year-end holiday season. 

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said Tuesday that the new infections raised the country's accumulated caseload to 51-thousand-460.

The daily figure remained below one-thousand for the second straight day, but health authorities expect the number will hover around one-thousand to 12-hundred next week as well. 

Of the latest cases detected throughout Monday, 824 were local transmissions, while 45 were imported.

Nearly 550 cases came from the capital region, including 309 in Seoul, 193 in Gyeonggi Province and 44 in Incheon. 

The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients has increased by seven to 281, while 24 virus-related deaths were reported, tying a record high set the previous day and bringing the death toll to 722. The fatality rate stands at one-point-four percent.