South Korea on Tuesday ordered most schools in Seoul and surrounding areas to close and move classes back online, the latest in a series of precautionary measures aimed at heading off a resurgence in coronavirus cases.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 280 new coronavirus cases as of midnight Monday, bringing the country's total to 17,945 with 310 deaths.

That represents a drop in daily new infections from 397 reported as of midnight Saturday, the highest daily tally since early March.