The government has assessed last week's COVID-19 risk level for the nation as "high."

According to health authorities on Monday, the latest risk level moved up two notches from "low" a week earlier.

The Seoul metropolitan area was assessed to be at the highest degree of "very high," with other regions at "moderate," although both climbed two levels.

Authorities began evaluating COVID-19 risks on a five-point scale based on the occupancy rate of beds for critical patients, the weekly tally for patients suffering from serious symptoms, and the percentage of patients aged 60 or older, among other indicators.