Despite sporadic, small-scale outbreaks jolting the metropolitan area, the South Korean government is committed to reopening, allowing its people to resume normal life, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Tuesday.

“We cannot stop taking steps to return to our daily lives because of fear,” Chung said at a Cabinet meeting in the administrative city of Sejong, vowing all-out efforts on early containment of the outbreaks.

“We are at another critical moment, with infections at a logistics center and school academies. … The number of newly confirmed patients has slowed down, but we are not yet at the level to be relieved.”

Chung added the government will keep its guard up against the virus with a focus to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus at schools.

In the third phase of school reopening, some 1.7 million students were set to return to classrooms Wednesday.

Chung went on to say the country would move forward just has it had in Daegu based on civic awareness and strong measures to stop the virus spread.

By Kim Bo-gyung (lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)