South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 7,000 for the second consecutive day Thursday and the number of critically ill COVID-19 patients rose close to 1,000 as the country prepares to bring back tougher virus curbs to stem the spread of the virus.

The country added 7,622 more COVID-19 cases, including 7,591 local infections, bringing the cumulative total to 544,117, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

Among them, the public health agency reported 20 omicron variant cases, putting the total at 148.

The number of critically ill patients hit yet another fresh high of 989, up from the previous record of high of 964 recorded Wednesday.

The latest infection tally marks a drop from the record high of 7,850 the previous day.

Deaths from the virus rose by 62 to 4,518. The fatality rate stood at 0.83 percent.

In an effort to contain the spread of the virus, the government announced it will reduce the maximum size of private gatherings to four people nationwide and restore a 9 p.m. curfew on restaurant and cafe business hours.

It marks a reversal of the government's "living with COVID-19" scheme that began last month with an aim to regain normalcy by relaxing virus restrictions in phased steps.  

The new restrictions will begin Saturday and remain in effect until Jan. 2.

Currently, private gatherings are limited to six people in the capital area and eight elsewhere, measures that have already been toughened from the scheme following a virus surge.

The escalating spread of the virus has pressed the authorities to toughen the distancing rules, as the approach to the relaxation of measures proved premature.

Under the new measures, fully vaccinated people will be allowed to use restaurants and cafes, and those who have not been vaccinated will be able to use the facilities alone or request take-out or delivery.

Bars, nightclubs and other entertainment venues will also be subject to the 9 p.m. curfew, while movie theaters, concert halls and internet cafes will be able to operate until 10 p.m.  

Of the locally transmitted cases, Seoul reported 3,047 infections and Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital logged 2,140 cases.

Thirty-one cases came from overseas, raising the caseload to 16,200, the KDCA said.

As of Thursday, 84.1 percent of the country's 52 million population had received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines, and 81.5 percent had been fully vaccinated. About 17.3 percent of the total population has gotten their booster shots, the KDCA said. (Yonhap)