Air Force Trainee Early Unit Assignment Due to COVID-19

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Air Force has decided to assign approximately 2,000 trainees of the 834th class, who enlisted on the 10th of last month, to their units early starting from the 14th. Considering that the first confirmed case in this class was reported on the 18th of last month, this means they will be assigned to their units after only one week of training.

On the 10th, an Air Force official stated, "We plan to assign personnel who are judged to be normal based on test results to their units first," adding, "The remaining confirmed cases and quarantined personnel will be assigned sequentially depending on their health condition."

As of that day, there are 351 confirmed COVID-19 cases within the military. Among them, 71 are trainees belonging to the Air Force Education Command Basic Military Training Unit, where a cluster infection occurred. The cumulative number of confirmed cases in this unit has risen to 622, and the spread has not been contained. Other confirmed cases have sporadically appeared in various Army and Air Force units, as well as the Navy, Marine Corps, Ministry of National Defense direct units, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Combined Forces Command.

Excluding overseas deployed soldiers, the cumulative number of confirmed cases within the military is 7,508, with 2,850 currently under management.

The Cheonghae Unit crew members, who were quarantined in a local hotel in Oman after all disembarked due to a cluster infection, have begun returning to their vessels sequentially from this day. Among the approximately 300 crew members, about 200 returned first on this day. It is expected that by late next week at the earliest, all crew members will have returned to their vessels, enabling normal mission operations.

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