SEOUL: Eight more U.S. soldiers and their families tested positive for COVID-19 in South Korea amid lingering worry about a recent resurgence in the country, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday.
The USFK said in a statement that eight USFK affiliated individuals were confirmed with the virus after arriving in South Korea between Sept. 1 and Sept. 10.
Three service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul, on U.S. government-chartered flights from the United States on Sept. 1 and Sept. 9.
Two service members and three dependents arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on commercial flights from the United States on Sept. 6 and Sept. 10.
The confirmed patients have been transferred to designated isolation facilities at Camp Humphreys or the Osan Air Base, both in Pyeongtaek.
The total number of infections among the USFK-affiliated personnel rose to 188, according to Yonhap news agency.
Worry remained here over the recent surge in local cases. In the latest tally, South Korea reported 109 more cases of COVID-19 for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 22,285.
The daily caseload stayed below 200 for 12 straight days, but continued to grow in triple digits since Aug. 14.
“Despite the recent confirmed cases, USFK remains at a high level of readiness with less than 1 percent of its active-duty service members currently confirmed positive with COVID-19,” the USFK said.
