Military Officers in Daegu Area Assigned to Work at Designated Locations for One Week

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] From now on, military officers stationed in the Daegu area will be required to work at designated locations for one week. This measure was taken because the majority of confirmed COVID-19 cases over the past three days were military officers who commuted to and from work.

On the 27th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that, except for essential personnel such as commanders needed for operations, units located in the Daegu area must perform their duties at designated places such as their homes. Commanders are not allowed to leave the base and must remain on standby within the unit. However, units located in the Gyeongbuk area may implement this selectively at the discretion of their commanders.

As of 5 p.m. on the same day, the Ministry reported a total of 25 confirmed COVID-19 cases within the military: 15 in the Army, 2 in the Navy (including 1 Marine), and 8 in the Air Force. At 9:30 a.m., there were 21 confirmed cases, but 4 additional cases were confirmed in the afternoon. The 4 new confirmed cases include 1 Army civilian employee in Daegu, 1 Air Force officer in Daegu, 1 Air Force officer in Cheongju, Chungbuk, and 1 Air Force civilian employee in Daegu. Earlier that morning, 1 Army civilian employee in Changwon, Gyeongnam, was also confirmed positive.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the military is quarantining approximately 9,990 soldiers and civilian employees. Among them, about 820 individuals are quarantined based on health authorities' criteria due to contact with confirmed cases or symptoms.

The military's own preventive quarantine measures apply to approximately 9,170 personnel. Since the 10th of this month, enhanced criteria have been applied for preventive quarantine of soldiers and civilian employees who themselves or their cohabiting family members have visited Daegu, Yeongcheon City in Gyeongbuk, or Cheongdo County. To prevent the spread of COVID-19 within the military, the authorities have suspended all outdoor training nationwide and have completely restricted soldiers' leave, outings, overnight stays, and visits.