USFK employee in Daegu tests positive for coronavirus, total at 8

Published : Mar 9, 2020 - 20:41 Updated : Mar 9, 2020 - 21:02

Soldiers from the US Army 145th Field Artillery Battalion, participate in moving heavy equipment during the South Korea-US Key Resolve and Foal Eagle joint military exercises at Camp Carroll, in Waegwan, 300 km south of Seoul, South Korea, 06 March 2012. (EPA-Yonhap)

A South Korean employee of U.S. Forces Korea stationed in the southeastern city of Daegu has tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of USFK-related infection cases to eight, the military said Monday.

The patient, who works at Camp Walker, is quarantined at his off-base residence, USFK said, adding health officials have been conducting contact tracing to determine whether anyone else may have been exposed.

"USFK remains at risk level 'high' peninsula-wide and is implementing all appropriate control measures to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as a prudent measure to protect the force," it said in a release.

As of Thursday, South Korea had 7,478 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, including 51 deaths, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the total, more than 90 percent have occurred in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. (Yonhap)