SEOUL– The government will expand face-to-face treatment for COVID-19 patients, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said Tuesday.

Lee made the remarks during a COVID-19 response meeting, saying the government will lower the amount of remote monitoring for high-risk COVID-19 patients under at-home treatment from the current two times a day to one starting Monday.

Instead, the government is working to increase the number of local clinics that provide face-to-face treatment for COVID-19 patients, the minister said. As of Monday, there had been 6,446 clinics across the country.

On Tuesday, the country reported 17,191 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 18,103,638, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

The government will also actively consider remodeling and building new crematoriums based on a forecast of the possible resurgence of the pandemic and the inflow of new variants, Lee said.

Under the plan, 238 crematoriums across the country will undergo remodeling.

Source: Yonhap News Agency