South Korean authorities will consider tighter social distancing restrictions to clamp down on economic activities after last week saw the fastest spread of infections since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Reuters, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is to meet with health authority officials at 3pm (0600 GMT) to decide whether virus curbs need to be tightened further to slow transmissions.

South Korea has reported 450 new infections of the coronavirus after reporting more than 500 new coronavirus cases for three days in a row, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

This third wave marks the highest level of infections in nearly nine months.