Korea reported new Covid-19 cases below 30 Monday, thanks to a sharp drop of local infections to three, the lowest in nearly three months.

The nation recorded 23 new cases -- three local infections and 20 foreign ones -- raising the cumulative caseload to 14,389 as of midnight Sunday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries amounted to 13,280, up 21 from the previous day. The death toll remained unchanged at 301. The country, with a population of 50 million, has carried out 1,579,757 tests since Jan. 3.

Out of the three local outbreaks, two new cases occurred in Seoul and one in Gyeonggi Province. The community outbreak on Monday was the lowest in 87 days.

Health officials said they could not relax because of a possible resurge, as they confirmed new outbreaks at a café and restaurant in southern Seoul. A person who visited the coffee shop appears to have spread the virus to the restaurant. However, the authorities are still not clear on where the first patient had contracted the disease.

Of the 20 imported infections, four cases came from Bangladesh and Russia, followed by two from the U.S., Japan, Algeria, and the Philippines, and one from India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, and Mexico. Fourteen cases were detected at port and airport checkpoints.

As the local infections continue to decrease, the government is discussing ways to prevent the exhaustion of medical personnel and officials fighting the pandemic.

"The number of Covid-19 patients in Korea during the past week has been stable, with an average of around 10 people per day," Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-Hoo said during a task force meeting. "Despite the worldwide spread of Covid-19, the control of local spread was thanks to the continued effort from on-site quarantine officers and our citizens' cooperation."

At this point, it is necessary to maintain a thorough prevention system by blocking foreign inflows and strengthening quarantine activities at home during the vacation period, he added.

Park, who doubles as the first vice-chair of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, also requested that the related officials do their best to ensure that there is no negligence in the prevention of Covid-19 while minimizing the damage caused by heavy rain currently lashing down in Korea.

"Although it is difficult to cope with both heavy rains and the pandemic at the same time, the government hopes officials will take extra care to prevent any relaxation of quarantine efforts,” he said.

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