Masked crowds return to Seoul's popular Myeongdong shopping district over the weekend amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (Photo: Yonhap)
South Korea has confirmed 1,050 new COVID-19 infections, mostly local transmissions, and eight additional virus-related deaths.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention agency reported Monday that the latest cases confirmed in the last 24 hours pushed the national total to 343,445, including 2,668 deaths.
The daily caseload, down 370 from Sunday, marked the lowest since the fourth wave of the pandemic hit the country in July.
Recently, there have been signs of a virus slowdown amid increasing vaccination rates, but health authorities remain cautious as case figures tend to drop at the start of the week due to less testing over the weekend.
An official from the KDCA said if new infections continue to decline, the government may be able to phase into its "living with COVID-19" plan by next month.
Ahead of the envisioned return to "normal life," the government has eased caps on private gatherings, sporting events and weddings, among other restrictions.
However, the toughest Level 4 social distancing scheme in the greater Seoul area, and Level 3 distancing in most all other regions, will continue to be enforced until October 31.
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