Amid the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Saturday urged South Koreans to refrain from attending religious services and massive outdoor events for the time being. 

In a televised statement to the nation, the prime minister said that the nation should and can overcome the outbreak, calling the latest infections a "grave situation." 

Chung said that the nation's medical system is at the world's best level and the country has accumulated sufficient experiences of fighting contagious diseases.

The prime minister urged the people to trust the government and medical experts and cooperate with the country's efforts to ride out the outbreak.