South Korea's Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun warned against loosening enforcement of social distancing rules after the number of new coronavirus cases hit the highest levels in nearly 40 days.

The government relaxed distancing curbs starting this week, after getting on top of a third wave of Covid-19 outbreaks that peaked at about 1,200 daily cases in late December. But the numbers shot back up in just three days, topping 600 for the first time in 39 days on Tuesday, after a ban on nighttime entertainment facilities was lifted and a restaurant curfew extended by one hour to 10pm.

Chung said there were signs of lax discipline, singling out nightclubs opening at 5am and people partying at a hotel after the curfew, Reuters reported.

“We've eased distancing to help small business owners maintain their livelihoods, not to keep a slack rein on the virus,” he told a televised meeting. “The third wave is not over [...] now is never the time to loosen up.”