| Yonhap |
The defense ministry said Monday it is banning all service personnel from leaving their bases for vacation and other purposes as part of efforts to stem the spread of the new coronavirus into the barracks, officials said Tuesday.
Starting Wednesday, all enlisted soldiers and ranking officers will be banned from vacationing and traveling outside their bases until the end of this month, and they will be ordered to cancel all of their official and private gatherings, according to the officials.
The decision was made as South Korea has reported a drastic surge in new COVID-19 infections since late last week. On Tuesday, the country reported 246 additional cases, which is a five-month high. Nearly 1,000 people tested positive over the past five days.
The military also reported two more patients on the day -- an Army soldier stationed in Gapyeong, south of Seoul, and a civilian worker for a military intelligence unit, according to the ministry. The total caseload among the military population now stands at 88.
"In line with the stricter social distancing scheme nationwide, we also decided to toughen our quarantine and other virus prevention measures," a ministry official said. "Off-installation travel will only be authorized for necessary duties upon supervisors' review."
In mid-February, the ministry banned service personnel from off-installation trips, after the Navy reported the first COVID-19 infection among military members.
The restrictions were then lifted in May, as the virus situation became relatively stable, though the ban on meeting with outside visitors has been in place.
The ministry also said it will review whether to adjust the schedule for the upcoming regular training sessions for reserve forces.
This year's regular training for the country's 2.75 million-strong forces is supposed to kick off in September across the country in a scaled-back manner after monthslong delay due to the coronavirus.
"As of now, no changes are planned regarding the reserve forces training. But we are closely monitoring the virus situation and will make an appropriate decision, if necessary," the official added. (Yonhap)