South Korea will expand level two social distancing guidelines nationwide from Sunday. 

Level two restrictions were previously only applied to the greater Seoul area, but as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the country, the government has decided to expand the stricter distancing measures nationwide.

Health Minister Park Neung-hoo issued a statement Saturday on the COVID-19 crisis saying it is a very precarious situation at the moment regarding the spread of the virus. He said social distancing rules will be raised to level two for the entire country starting Sunday.

Park added that in some regions where infections and clusters are fewer, implementation of measures will be advised rather than enforced, and cited Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces as meeting this criteria.

Level two quarantine guidelines took effect in the greater capital area of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province from last Sunday and also in Incheon from Wednesday.

Under level two, indoor gatherings of over 50 people and outdoor events of over 100 people are banned while facilities at high risk of infection are also closed. 

South Korea has reported over 300 new COVID-19 cases for a second consecutive day.