South Korea’s prime minister pleaded with residents to abide by social distancing rules to avoid even greater restrictions in the face of the country’s largest wave of coronavirus infections, according to Reuters.

Schools in the Seoul metropolitan area closed for a month from Tuesday as the government moves closer to imposing the toughest Level 3 restrictions, which would essentially mean a lockdown of Asia’s fourth largest economy.

“While most citizens bear the inconvenience to comply with the rules, some are adding fuel to the ferocious spread of the virus with their carelessness and irresponsibility,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in televised remarks at a government meeting.

“Considering the weight and impact of Level 3 distancing, we first need to level-headedly look back at whether all of us are properly implementing the current level.”