Health authorities have said they will take into account the impact of the latest COVID-19 resurgence in China when determining the time frame for lifting the indoor mask mandate.

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) Commissioner Jee Young-mee said on Friday that the decision will depend on four key indicators, such as the number of daily infections, critical cases and deaths as well as the healthcare capacity and high-risk immunity rate.

Mentioning the entry of new variants and the situation overseas as concerns, she added that authorities plan to analyze the impact of the latest uptick in China before finalizing the mandate-lifting schedule.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said lifting the mandate could be further delayed should the overseas situation lead to another wave of the virus' transmission domestically.