SEOUL– Four more newly enlisted soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total of recent infections at an Army boot camp to 88, the defense ministry said Monday.
The enlistees at the Korea Army Training Center have been in isolation since last week after the center reported a cluster infection amid a new wave of COVID-19 infections across the country.
The authorities have conducted virus tests on all camp members and carried out contact tracing, according to the ministry.
In addition, two civilian employees for the Army stationed in Seoul and a military officer in the western county of Taean tested positive after coming into contact with their colleagues who contracted the virus earlier, the ministry said.
The latest cases brought the total number of infections reported among the military population to 1,141.
As part of efforts to curb the spread of the virus, the government on Monday began the vaccine inoculation campaign for those who receive notices of enlistment.
The ministry also began enforcing the toughest social distancing scheme of Level 4 for military members on the day, restricting their vacation and off-installation activities and outsiders’ visits to bases.
The military is also working to implement the vaccination program for service members without a hitch. As of Sunday, 295,431 troops in their 20s, or 74.7 percent of the age group, have received their second doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, the ministry said.
Defense Minister Suh Wook convened an emergency meeting involving major commanders on Sunday to check the military’s antivirus measures. He visited a makeshift virus testing center in Seoul on Monday and vowed active support for nationwide efforts to bring the new wave of the virus under control, according to his office.
“We see the current grave situation as a quasi-state of war and will mobilize all military personnel and resources available to help curb the pandemic,” the defense ministry said in a release.
Nationwide, South Korea reported 1,100 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 169,146, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency