Health authorities are maintaining vigilance on the domestic COVID-19 situation and encouraging people to get vaccinated amid a resurgence of the virus in Hong Kong and elsewhere.

A meeting was held Friday among the health ministry, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) and the National Medical Center to closely monitor situations at home and abroad and to seek ways to block the virus entry.

KDCA Commissioner Jee Young-mee said travelers should abide by prevention guidelines while visiting countries reporting the virus' resurgence, notify quarantine officers of symptoms upon their return and for those deemed to be at high risk to get vaccinated.

The latest resurgence is being reported in countries and regions with which South Korea engages in many exchanges, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China.

According to the KDCA, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has stayed in the similar range during the past four weeks with a repeated slight increase.