[Feature] From mask factories to hospitals, military wages virus war

From mask factories to hospitals, South Korea’s 600,000-strong military is making its presence felt on every battle front of the country’s war against the coronavirus.

Soldiers, officers, and military doctors and nurses have joined the government’s efforts to suppress COVID-19, which has sickened over 7,000 people and killed 50 here, upending everyday life and dealing a blow to the local economy.

“Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province are the front lines. The situation is close to war. We need all manpower and resources to curb the outbreak,” Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said Friday. Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province are the regions hit hardest by COVID-19.

“The military should come forward when called upon during emergencies, and people look to us now for support,” Jeong added. He was encouraging soldiers who had been deployed to Daegu International Airport and adjacent areas to disinfect public facilities there.

A team of experts from the Armed Forces Chemical, Biological and Radiological Defense Command went to Daegu to as well to disinfect priority facilities such as hospitals. The command dealing with weapons of mass destruction is helping other municipalities with disinfection efforts.

Smaller units helped their neighboring communities. “We lack resources to disinfect the entire campus or surrounding regions, but the military can, and that is just reassuring,” said an official at Honam University in Gwangju after the military disinfected the campus buildings.

The military is expanding support to cover all the bases.

Soldiers are now working on weekends to help ramp up the production of protective masks, as COVID-19, a highly contagious respiratory virus, triggered a massive surge in demand. With factories scrambling to fill orders and shops selling out, soldiers are putting in extra hours to help manufacturers.

“We were running a little short of labor because of a soaring demand all of sudden. But then these soldiers came to our rescue. They came out on weekends and really helped us out. We’re indebted,” said a factory supervisor at an Incheon-based protective gear firm.

Meanwhile, the military is mobilizing medical staff and building treatment centers.

The previous week, newly commissioned nursing officers headed to Daegu after an early commissioning ceremony to treat COVID-19 patients isolated at a military hospital. Just in time for the extra medical staff, the military had expanded the 98-bed military hospital into a 303-bed treatment center.

The center has not only more beds but comes with more negative pressure rooms, which allow air to flow into isolation rooms housing infected patients and come out safely. The rooms are recommended to prevent the airborne pathogens from spreading.

On the sidelines, service members are giving blood after steps to curb COVID-19 prompted a sharp drop in the emergency blood supply. Service members said they will continue to donate blood until a stable supply is secured, according to the military.

“Humble and committed, we’re carrying out our mission for the people and the country. Let this donation be the seed of hope to share,” said Gen. Hwang In-kwon, commander of the Second Operational Command, which is one of the two combatant commands responsible for Daegu and neighboring provinces.

By Choi Si-young (siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)