Asia-Pacific
US Forces Korea reports two more coronavirus cases, raising total to 227
Stars and Stripes
October 15, 2020
Passengers exit a Patriot Express flight at Osan Air Base, South Korea, June 10, 2020. (Matthew Keeler/Stars and Stripes)
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SEOUL, South Korea — Two more American service members tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving in South Korea from the United States, the military said Thursday.
The announcement raised to 227 the total number of coronavirus cases affiliated with U.S. Forces Korea, most among troops flying to the divided peninsula for new assignments or returning from trips abroad.
The two service members traveled on government-chartered flights that landed at Osan Air Base on Oct. 2 and Oct. 12, USFK said in a press release.
The command requires all arrivals to undergo a strict containment process that begins as soon as they land. All must take a coronavirus test upon arrival, undergo a two-week quarantine, then pass another coronavirus test before being allowed to exit the quarantine.
One tested positive on the initial test; the other tested positive on the exit test, USFK said, adding that both have been transferred to a specially outfitted barracks used for coronavirus patients at Camp Humphreys.
“Despite the recent confirmed cases, USFK remains at a high level of readiness with less than 1% of its active duty service members currently confirmed positive with COVID-19,” according to the press release.
About 28,500 U.S. service members are stationed in South Korea, which remains technically at war with the North after their 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty.