First US military coronavirus infection confirmed in South Korea as cases hit 1,261
- The US soldier is stationed at Camp Carroll, 30km north of Daegu, and is now in self-quarantine at his off-base residence
- South Korea also recorded its 11th casualty and the nation is on its highest alert over the outbreak, with most cases found in Daegu and Cheongdo
Among the new infections, a US soldier stationed in South Korea has tested positive for the coronavirus, commanders said on Wednesday, the first US serviceman to do so.
The soldier is stationed at Camp Carroll, 30km north of Daegu, US Forces Korea said in a statement, adding that he had been put in self-quarantine at his off-base residence. South Korean authorities and US military health professionals were tracing his contacts to determine if other people may have been exposed.
About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea. United States Forces Korea previously said a widowed dependent had the virus, the first case involving a USFK-related individual. South Korea’s 600,000-member military has reported 18 cases and placed thousands of soldiers in quarantine as a precaution.
Two bowling alleys at Camp Walker and Camp Carroll and a golf course at Camp Walker were closed after the soldier’s case was confirmed. All restaurants at the bases, and also Camp Henry and Camp George in Daegu, will now provide only takeaway meals with soldiers and family members prohibited from dining there.
The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) also confirmed an 11th person has died: a Mongolian man in his 30s who became the first foreign national to fall victim to the outbreak. Yonhap reported that he had been in hospital in the South awaiting a liver transplant.