Authorities in South Korea said they will wait for a turnabout this week in the daily COVID-19 surge, assessing that the current level of social distancing has managed to contain a further spread of the virus.

Yoon Tae-ho, a senior Health Ministry official, said on Monday that the daily increase didn't spike despite nearly 500 asymptomatic patients being detected in the capital region, because distancing has curbed the infection reproduction rate.

While the daily surge has stayed at around one thousand in the past week, Level Two-point-Five social distancing measures are currently in place for Seoul, surrounding Gyeonggi Province and nearby Incheon, and Level Two in regions outside the metro area.

Health Ministry spokesperson Son Young-rae emphasized that this week will be a critical turning point for determining the direction of the epidemic, adding that the government will prepare for possibly raising distancing to Level Three, which is the highest.

Referring to concerns over significant socioeconomic damage, Son said should the government decide to impose Level Three, operators of affected multi-purpose facilities would be notified in advance to prepare.

The spokesperson added, however, that a lockdown of cities and regions will not be included under Level Three distancing.