New COVID-19 cases fell below 20-thousand as the nation is set to lift the indoor mask mandate for most places from Monday.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Sunday, 18-thousand-871 infections were reported throughout Saturday including 37 from overseas.

The tally is 47-hundred fewer than the previous day but rose by some two-thousand from a week earlier.

The country's cumulative caseload stands at over 30 million.

The number of critically ill hospitalized patients is up by ten from the previous day, at 420.

Saturday added 29 deaths raising the death toll to 33-thousand-390. The fatality rate remains at zero-point-11 percent.