SEOUL — South Korea extended Friday the tighter social distancing restrictions in Seoul and its suburbs for one more week, until Sept. 13 with no definite slowdown in the infection rate. South Korea said the 2.5 level of social distancing, which is currently applied in Seoul and its suburbs, will be extended until Sept. 13, restricting the work in restaurants, bakeries and cafes, and constantly closing indoor sports facilities and private educational institutes. The 2.5 level of social distancing is more stringent than the second level guidelines that are applied across South Korea, under the 3-level social distancing system. Korea reported 198 new COVID-19 cases Friday — 189 locally transmitted and nine imported — posting fewer than 200 for the second consecutive day. The total caseload rose to 20,842, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With tightened social distancing rules in place, the “explosive” spread of the virus was contained and the country’s daily new COVID-19 cases stayed below 300 for the sixth consecutive day on Friday. Health authorities, however, are on high alert over surges in the number of patients with severe symptoms or unclear infection routes, as well as the sporadic virus outbreaks popping up across the country. “The number of cases has been somewhat declining recently, but it is yet to be clearly stabilizing,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday at a pan-government meeting on the country’s response to COVID-19. “Rather than hastily relax quarantine measures, we should do everything in our power to overturn the current phase,” he said, asking for understanding and patience. Level 2 social distancing rules, which had already been in place nationwide, were extended across the country until Sept. 20. Under the rules, 12 types of high-risk businesses including nightclubs and karaoke rooms should be shut down and indoor gatherings of more than 50 people are banned along with outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people, among other measures. Remote learning was also extended for students in the Seoul metropolitan area, except for seniors in high school, with all kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools, and special-purpose schools in the region to remain closed until Sept. 20. Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo said at a briefing Friday that the ministry is yet to let its guard down, according to Korea Herald. “The number of new cases has been triple digits for about 20 days and the coronavirus continues to spread in the Seoul metropolitan area,” Neung-hoo said at a briefing Friday. The level of social distancing will only be lowered when “the number of new COVID-19 cases comes town to the level that the country’s quarantine and medical system can handle,” he added. — Agencies