Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Wednesday stressed the importance of thorough measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 especially during the upcoming Christmas and New Year's holiday season.

The government on Tuesday announced more stringent antivirus measures for the period, including a nationwide ban on private gatherings of five or more people, and closures of ski slopes and other winter sports facilities, as well as popular year-end tourist attractions, from Thursday until Jan. 3.

"We will be able to enter a much improved condition on New Year's Day if synergies are gained from the government's targeted disease control and the public's participation," Chung said during an interagency meeting on the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Chung said he was concerned about the inconvenience the public would face from the special measures, which included much stronger steps than those under the highest Level 3 social distancing rules.

"We must produce results (from the special measures), since it was decided despite causing great pain (to the public)," he said.

Chung also explained that the government has so far acquired around 8,000 hospital beds for coronavirus patients, within a broader goal to procure a total 10,000 beds.

"Regarding the lack of hospital beds for critical patients in particular, we expect the problem to soon be resolved through the help from several private hospitals," he added. (Yonhap)