New daily COVID-19 cases registered in the 20-thousands on Thursday, as the government announced that it was lowering the crisis level for the virus and lifting the mandatory seven-day quarantine for infected patients next month.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters said on Thursday that 20-thousand-574 infections were reported throughout Wednesday, including 32 from overseas, bringing the total cumulative caseload to over 31 million-351-thousand.

The daily tally dropped by about three-thousand from a day ago, but rose by 428 from last week and by some 63-hundred from two weeks prior. The tally remained above 20-thousand for the third consecutive day. 

The daily average for the past week was tallied at 17-thousand-34.

The number of patients in intensive care rose by six from a day ago to 157.

The death toll climbed by 12 to stand at 34-thousand-583, with the overall fatality rate remaining at zero-point-11 percent.