The health authorities are going all out to curb new virus cases to levels before the start of the fourth viral wave, but the beginning of the vacation season is complicating their tactics.

The country added 1,674 Covid-19 cases, including 1,632 local infections, raising the total caseload to 195,099, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure was down from an all-time high of 1,896 on Thursday.

The country added two more Covid-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 2,085. The fatality rate was 1.07 percent.

The daily caseload has remained above 1,000 for 23 days since July 7 due to the resurgence in the capital Seoul and its surrounding areas. Health officials are concerned that the fourth wave may not have peaked yet, considering growing cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant despite strict virus restrictions.

To stem the spread of the virus, they have extended the highest social distancing measures of Level 4 in the Seoul metro region, the nation's virus hot spot in recent weeks, until Aug. 8. The toughest restrictions ban gatherings of more than two people after 6 p.m., place a 10 p.m. curfew on restaurants and cafes, and ban nightclubs and other entertainment venues.

Besides, the government has urged citizens to refrain from traveling across the country during the summer seasons but to little avail. Officials at Jeju Province expected the monthly number of visitors to the island would top 1 million for the fourth consecutive month in July, reflecting strong urges among Koreans for travels amid the prolonged epidemic.

Like all other regions outside of Seoul and its surrounding areas, the resort island is under the Level 3 social distancing restrictions, the second-highest in the nation's four-tier system, enforcing a 10 p.m. curfew on restaurants and cafes and prohibiting private gatherings of five or more. The Jeju provincial government has also ordered the shutdown of all 1,356 entertainment facilities on the island due to fears of Covid-19 transmissions.

However, according to the data from the Jeju Tourism Association, 991,966 people visited the island from July 1-28, with the association estimating the monthly total to reach 1.02 million.

Health authorities have expressed concerns as the steady influx of visitors has led to a record number of Covid-19 cases on the island. The island’s quarantine officials reported more than 400 coronavirus infections this month. The island had recorded drops in cases since hitting a record high of 340 cases in December last year.

Island officials have also stated that Covid-19 transmissions through tourists have been on the rise. For example, 15 people, including tourists, tested positive for the virus after attending drinking parties at three guesthouses.

As the island expects the number of visitors to the island will increase in August, it is gearing up to implement stronger quarantine measures.

“Jeju is the most vulnerable province to Covid-19 infection from July to August when tourists flock,” a Jeju provincial official said. “We will take strict measures against violations of quarantine rules.”

Meanwhile, Korea expanded its vaccination drive to the younger population from Wednesday.

Reservations for about 100,000 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) takers started on Wednesday. As of 9 a.m. Thursday, 81,000 CSAT takers have completed their reservations.

While the government aims to inoculate 70 percent of its population with at least one vaccine dose by September to reach herd immunity in November, its plan has recently hit a snag due to supply problems, such as Moderna’s delay of vaccine shipment from July to August due to production disruption.

The government has vaccinated 18,382,137 people – 10,407,541 with the AstraZeneca vaccine, 6,271,501 with Pfizer's vaccine, 1,129,765 with Janssen's vaccine 573,330 with Moderna's vaccine – with the first shot of the vaccine up 380,756 from the previous day.

The figure accounts for 35.8 percent of the nation's population.