One More COVID-19 Case Confirmed at Army New Recruit Training Center... Total 72 Cases

As social distancing was adjusted to Level 1, military personnel's leave, which had been restricted to prevent the spread of COVID-19, was fully reinstated on the 12th. At Seoul Station, a soldier is waiting in the lounge to use the TMO service. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]The Ministry of National Defense announced on the 30th that two additional cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed within the military.

At the Army Recruit Training Battalion (Shingyodae) in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, where the largest cluster infection in the military occurred, one more trainee tested positive, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the unit to 72.

The confirmed trainee initially tested negative in the first diagnostic test conducted immediately after the outbreak at Shingyodae, but developed symptoms during preventive quarantine and tested positive upon retesting. At Yeoncheon Shingyodae, test results for about 860 individuals who were part of the initial full-scale testing and about 290 recently enlisted trainees have all been received. However, soldiers who initially tested negative but were confirmed positive upon retesting have been appearing at a rate of one per day for two consecutive days.

In an Army unit in Cheorwon, one officer who was quarantined as a close contact of a confirmed case within the unit tested positive during the test required for quarantine release.

At the Sangmudae Army base in Jangseong, Jeollanam-do, where 18 cases had been confirmed until the previous day, no additional confirmed cases have been reported. However, since the number of personnel related to the unit, including military families, reaches 5,000 and the military authorities are still conducting epidemiological investigations in cooperation with local governments and quarantine authorities, additional individuals may be subject to testing.

So far, about 800 people classified as epidemiologically related or preventive testing targets have completed testing.

Meanwhile, as of 10 a.m. on the same day, the total cumulative number of confirmed cases within the military was 371, of which 176 are currently receiving treatment. Including three who recovered on the day, the remaining 195 have been cured. According to health authorities, 2,068 individuals are in isolation, and the military is quarantining 2,819 people preventively based on its own standards.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.