Despite Korea's plans to treat Covid-19 similarly to influenza and discontinue case counting as early as next month, the pandemic has resurged recently.

Last week, the number of new cases increased by about 40 percent compared to the week before, with the number of daily cases surpassing 40,000 for the first time in six months.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH), the average daily number of new cases from last Tuesday to this Monday was 38,809, a 38.83 percent increase compared to the previous week (27,955).

Notably, cases reached a six-month high of 47,029 last Wednesday, the most number of daily cases since Jan. 11, when the nation reported 47,290 cases.

Adding to the woes of quarantine officials, the average daily number of Covid-19 cases, which started to increase in the fifth week of June, has also been increasing for four consecutive weeks.

The average daily number of severe cases and deaths in the past week was 151 and 57, 24 and nine more than the previous week (127 and 48).

With the number of cases rising again, there are growing concerns about the government's second phase Covid-19 daily recovery plan, announced last August.

The key to the second plan is to manage the Covid-19 epidemic at the same level as the flu.

Under the plan, mask mandates will be lifted from vulnerable facilities, case counting will be suspended, and the government will no longer bear some of the cost related to the testing and treatment of Covid-19.

Regarding such concerns, health authorities said they are keeping a close eye on the situation.

"We will continue to see sporadic outbreaks for the foreseeable future," a CDSCH official told reporters on Monday. "While the burden of the disease has decreased as the fatality rate has dropped, we continue to urge people to actively follow preventive measures."

Masks are highly recommended, especially for high-risk groups such as the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions, and in crowded places, he added.

Authorities will decide on the transition to the second phase of daily recovery after a comprehensive review of the latest domestic and international epidemic and epidemic prevention situation.

"No timeline has been finalized at this time," the official said.