5 military members test positive for COVID-19

▲ A service member undergoes a COVID-19 test at a makeshift testing facility in Seoul on March 1, 2021. (Yonhap)

military-coronavirus

5 military members test positive for COVID-19

SEOUL, March 15 (Yonhap) -- An Air Force officer, two Army draftees and two civilian workers for the military have tested positive for the new coronavirus over the weekend, the defense ministry said Monday.

The officer stationed in the southeastern city of Daegu was confirmed to have been infected in a test required to exit quarantine, as he has been in isolation after one of his family members tested positive earlier, according to the ministry.

One Army draftee in the border town of Goseong and the other one in Yeoncheon each tested positive while on vacation, it added.

The civilian worker for the Navy in the southeastern county of Jinhae tested positive after coming into contact with his colleague, and the other civilian working on an Army base in the city of Gwangju, southeast of Seoul, tested positive after showing symptoms, the ministry said.

The military has reported a series of confirmed cases among its members across the country over the past several weeks.

Up until now, the military has reported 611 COVID-19 cases among its members, and 588 have been fully cured, with 34 undergoing treatment, it added.

Nationwide, the country reported 382 more COVID-19 cases, including 370 local infections, raising the total caseload to 96,107, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

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