SEOUL, March 10 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's confirmed COVID-19 cases showed signs of slowing recently due to the government's speedy and transparent response to the novel coronavirus.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Tuesday that the country reported 131 new cases of the COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number to 7,513.

It was the slowest daily increase in two weeks and far below the daily growth of 500 or more last week.

During a press conference with foreign media Monday, Vice Health Minister Kim Kang-lip credited the slowing trend with speediness and transparency.

Health authorities have conducted at least 10,000 diagnostic tests nationwide each day. A so-called "Drive-Thru" testing station helped speed up the test as it takes about 10 minutes to test for the virus at the Drive-Thru stations compared to at least half an hour in conventional clinics.

At the Drive-Thru stations, drivers do not need to get out of cars but roll down windows low enough to have their samples taken by medical staff from nose and mouth.

"Information is being disclosed transparently and rapidly," the vice minister said.

Health authorities have held press briefings twice a day to provide people with updated data on infections and detailed explanations such as the travel histories of confirmed patients.

The openness and transparency encouraged people to actively participate in quarantine efforts by the government, which launched a so-called "social-distancing" campaign to discourage people from social or religious gatherings.

Of the total patients, about 90 percent were residents in Daegu, some 300 km southeast of the capital Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province.

Except the cases still under epidemiological investigation, almost 95 percent was linked to the church services of a homegrown minor religious sect, called Sincheonji, of which members are known to sit on the floor closely side by side during church services.

"The more transparently and quickly accurate information is provided, the more the people will trust the government. They will also act rationally for the good of the community at large," said the vice minister.

The South Korean government has covered financial costs for virus tests and treatment in a bid to prevent the poor people from avoiding the test and treatment, while reimbursing medical facilities for losses in order to induce them to join in quarantine efforts.

The government announced 11.7 trillion won (9.8 billion U.S. dollars) of supplementary budget last week to bolster private consumption and help fight against the COVID-19.

To secure the freedom of travel across the border, the country set up special immigration procedures without entry ban. Under the procedures, all inbound travelers are required to submit self-diagnosis results through self-diagnosis smartphone app for 14 days and to be put under intensive care if they show symptoms.

Health authorities have traced the whereabouts of confirmed cases using all available information, such as credit card use history, CCTV and mobile phone location. The information was made public to help people learn whether they were in contact with the patients.

To brace for the lack of hospital beds, the government divided the patients into four groups, including the one with severe symptoms who is admitted to hospitals for an emergency treatment and the one with mild symptoms who is placed under quarantine at the so-called living and treatment support centers.

The mild cases will be discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, but they will be transferred to medical institutions if symptoms get worse.

"South Korea, as a member of the global community, will share the experience and knowledge gained thus far with the rest of the world ... Close collaboration through solidarity will enable us to defeat our common enemy," the vice health minister added.