President Moon Jae-in will chair an interagency meeting on COVID-19 this weekend to be joined by the heads of 17 local governments, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.

He plans to preside over the session at Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday via video links, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee.

It is the first time for the president to chair a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters in seven months. It is usually done by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum.

Earlier Friday, the government made public a decision to prolong the highest level of social distancing restrictions in the greater Seoul area by two weeks, as the virus is continuing to spread rapidly.

Moon has decided to preside over the meeting to check the country's overall antivirus posture and encourage officials, Park said.

Among participants will be the prime minister, Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, as well as mayors and governors of 17 regions. (Yonhap)