Authorities in South Korea urged the public to maintain strict quarantine during the Chuseok thanksgiving holiday this week, saying the holiday season could serve as an inflection point for the COVID-19 epidemic.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, Yoon Tae-ho, a senior official at the Central Disaster Management Headquarters, said the daily increase infections has slowed after peaking in late August, but Chuseok could become the inflection point.

Yoon warned that if the nation fails to curb the spread of the virus during the holiday, there's a chance of a resurgence in the daily number of infections.

As of 12:00 a.m. Wednesday, 113 additional people tested positive for the virus, nearly tripling from 38 reported 24 hour earlier amid continued cases of sporadic group infections.

During the ongoing two-week special quarantine period before and after Chuseok, the government is making sure that the seasonal festivities will not lead to any mass gatherings.

Shutdown orders will remain in place for eleven types of facilities deemed to carry high risk for infection in the capital region, including karaoke rooms and indoor gyms, while restaurants and franchise coffee shops will need to keep a certain distance between seats.

Outside the capital area, one-week operation bans will be in place for five types of "high-risk" facilities, including clubs and bars.