South Koreans working at facilities under the U.S. military in Pyeongtaek have been ordered by the local city government to be tested for COVID-19, according to officials Wednesday.
The administrative order by the municipal government of Pyeongtaek, about 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was issued Monday, officials said. The order was also issued to workers at local cram schools and indoor sports facilities.
Subjects are required to take polymerase chain reaction tests by next Wednesday regardless of their vaccination status.
Officials explained American soldiers, civilians and families subject to the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) are exempt from the order.
Pyeongtaek has reported over 100 daily COVID-19 cases for the 22nd consecutive day since Jan. 28, as omicron infections connected to the U.S. base have piled up. The city reported 329 new virus cases, including 90 cases of U.S. soldiers, on Wednesday.
More than 90 percent of new infections were of omicron variant cases, according to officials.
Source: Yonhap News Agency