(LEAD) USFK reports 3 local COVID-19 cases, 13 cases among new arrivals

▲ This file photo, taken on Feb. 8, 2021, shows a U.S. service member at Incheon airport, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) USFK-coronavirus

(LEAD) USFK reports 3 local COVID-19 cases, 13 cases among new arrivals

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with additional cases in last 3 paras; CHANGES photo)

By Choi Soo-hyang

SEOUL, March 4 (Yonhap) -- Two American service members and a South Korean contractor for U.S. Forces Korea have tested positive for the new coronavirus, while an additional 13 USFK people were confirmed to have the virus following arrival from the U.S., the U.S. military said Thursday.

A soldier at Camp Casey in the northern city of Dongducheon was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Wednesday, according to USFK. Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, is where more than 100 infections have been reported among some 4,000 foreigners living in the city.

Following a spike in virus cases, USFK restricted its members from off-post dining in Dongducheon, and banned travel to and from the city and Camp Casey except for approved mission essential activities.

On Tuesday, another soldier and a Korean national contractor at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul, tested positive for the virus.

The service member was found infected through the U.S. military's surveillance testing program, while the contractor tested positive after developing symptoms. The civilian employee last visited the base Saturday.

"KDCA and USFK health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether anyone else may have been exposed to these individuals, and to identify and ensure all known on-post and off-post facilities visited by the individuals are thoroughly cleaned," the U.S. military said in a release. KDCA stands for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Separately, nine service members and four dependents have tested positive upon their arrival here since mid-February, USFK said.

One of the service members arrived in South Korea on a U.S. government chartered flight, while the others arrived here on commercial flights.

The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the USFK population to 772.

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