USFK employee in Daegu area tests positive for coronavirus

A South Korean employee at an American military base in the southeastern county of Chilgok has tested positive for the new coronavirus, US Forces Korea said, bringing the total number of USFK-related virus cases to three.

The Korean national, who works at Camp Carroll, has been in isolation at a hospital in the neighboring city of Daegu, USFK said in a release updated on its website on Thursday. He had been self-quarantined since his wife tested positive for COVID-19 Saturday, it added.

Chilgok, about 220 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in North Gyeongsang Province, is near Daegu, where a coronavirus outbreak has spread rapidly over the past week. More than 80 percent of South Korea's total cases have been reported in the city and the province.

"The patient has not been in contact with any other USFK or USFK-affiliated personnel since going into quarantine, and he last visited Camp Carroll on Feb. 20," according to USFK.

As he had been properly quarantined and had little interaction with others, health officials determined contact tracing was not needed, it added.

On Wednesday, a 23-year-old soldier at Camp Carroll tested positive for the virus to mark the first case among USFK troops.

Two days earlier, a 61-year-old "widowed USFK dependent" residing in Daegu tested positive for the virus.

"USFK remains at risk level 'high' and has implemented appropriate control measures as a prudent measure to protect forces," the military said. (Yonhap)