South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to around 4,200 on Monday amid the overall downturn of the infections, as the government is mulling further easing antivirus restrictions.

The country reported 4,198 new coronavirus cases, including 12 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,638,929, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.

It marked a decline from 9,342 cases reported Sunday and also a fall from the previous week's 4,295 cases.

The country reported 12 deaths from COVID-19, putting the death toll at 34,115.

The number of critically ill patients came to 142, down from 146 a day earlier, the KDCA said.

The country has managed the virus situation in a stable manner despite a sporadic growth in infection numbers following the removal of the indoor mask mandate in January, KDCA officials said.

The mandate is still in place at hospitals, pharmacies and public transportation, and the government plans to announce around Wednesday whether the regulation will be lifted for public transportation, they added. (Yonhap)