Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun says he believes the South Korean people can be proud about the achievements made in containing the spread of COVID-19.

Chung made the remark when he chaired a pan-government meeting on COVID-19 on Monday, saying the nation’s medical staff, volunteers, public employees and the public are all heroes. 

His comments came a day after the government decided to further ease its social distancing rules from Wednesday amid clear signs of a slowdown in the number of new coronavirus infections.

Chung, however, was quick to add that the war against COVID-19 is not yet over and cannot end in a short period of time. He stressed that the task that lies before the nation is to lead a new type of life in which people live with the virus.

The prime minister also said the government will place top priority on keeping schools safe and will immediately adjust social distancing guidelines if signs of danger emerge as the government is considering a phased approach to get students physically back in school.