South Korea has decided to impose the strictest Level Four social distancing scheme in the greater Seoul area for two weeks from Monday amid a spike in infections.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced the decision on Friday in a government meeting on COVID-19 responses in Seoul.

The prime minister said the government will maintain the assembly ban on nighttime entertainment facilities such as clubs and bars and hold off easing quarantine curbs for vaccinated people.

Under the highest Level Four in the new four-tier distancing scheme, private gatherings of over four people are prohibited before 6 p.m., after which the ban applies to those for more than two.

All events and demonstrations will be banned except single-person protests, while participants in events such as weddings and funerals will strictly be limited to immediate family and relatives.

Eateries, cafes and bars are allowed to remain open until 10 p.m., but the operations of nighttime entertainment facilities are banned.