Subscribe
The main gate at Osan Air Base in South Korea is seen Friday, April 3, 2020.

The main gate at Osan Air Base in South Korea is seen Friday, April 3, 2020. (Matthew Keeler/Stars and Stripes)

Stars and Stripes is making stories on the coronavirus pandemic available free of charge. See other free reports here. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here. Please support our journalism with a subscription.

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — An American civilian employee at Osan Air Base tested positive for coronavirus on Monday, raising the total number of cases affiliated with U.S. Forces Korea to 20.

The man last visited the air base on April 2 and has been quarantined at his off-base residence since then because he had been in direct contact with another person who was infected, USFK said in a press release.

It was the third confirmed case since Friday on the air base, which is near Camp Humphreys, the main Army garrison south of Seoul.

U.S. military health professionals “are currently conducting contact tracing and thoroughly cleaned known Osan AB facilities visited by the employee,” USFK said, adding it was sharing information and discussing response measures with South Korean health authorities.

The command did not provide more details about the patient’s identity or job.

The U.S. military has sharply restricted access to bases and ordered most people on Humphreys and Osan to stay home as much as possible as it tries to prevent the further spread of the virus.

Only two soldiers have tested positive in South Korea. The others were military dependents, contractors and South Korean employees.

news@stripes.com

Sign Up for Daily Headlines

Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets from around the world.

Sign Up Now