10 more USFK-affiliated Americans test positive for new coronavirus

Ten more Americans affiliated with the US Forces Korea (USFK) tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival in South Korea over the past week, the US military said Monday.

Six of them are service members and four their family members, and they tested positive after arriving here between July 12 and 15, according to USFK.

Five service members and four dependents arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on US government-chartered flights on July 12, 14 and 15. The remaining service member left the US and arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on a commercial flight on July 13, it added.

Six of the ten individuals tested positive on their mandatory initial test with two having displayed "minor symptoms," USFK said, adding that the four others tested negative on their first test but later developed symptoms and were retested with positive results.

"All individuals have since been transferred to an isolation facility designated for confirmed COVID-19 cases on either Camp Humphreys or Osan Air Base," USFK said.

The latest COVID-19 cases brought the total number of USFK-related infections to 98. Of them, 62 were reported in July and all of them were newly arriving service members, dependents and others.

All USFK-affiliated individuals arriving in South Korea are required to undergo the virus test and are quarantined for 14 days. Medical personnel administer a second test prior to their release.

The recent surge in the number of confirmed cases among newcomers has been a source of concern for local residents and health officials. Some have called for tougher entry procedures, particularly as the US has allowed its citizens to depart for South Korea though they were showing symptoms, albeit being minor.

Due quarantine measures and screening procedures for departure vary according to each US local government, according to officials.

Commander Gen. Robert Abrams told a radio program of American Forces Network (AFN) Korea on Monday, "This is something that we take very very seriously."

The commander, however, noted that the military has "a tried and proven process to ensure that those traveling in from the United States, that there's no unnecessary exposure to Korean citizens to our own population here on our basis."

On Monday, South Korea added 26 more COVID-19 patients. Of them, 22 were imported cases, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The country's total caseload came to 13,771. (Yonhap)