Author: GIKorea

USINDOPACIFIC Command has announced that all non-essential U.S. military and civilian personnel are restricted from traveling to South Korea:

Travel to South Korea is being restricted immediately for all service members and civilians who are nonessential due to the growing cases of coronavirus in the country, the regional military combatant command announced Wednesday.

There are now 1,261 confirmed cases of coronavirus in South Korea, the largest outbreak of the virus outside of China, with 284 new cases reported as of Wednesday, according to the World Health Organization. So far, 12 people have died in the country.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Here is a good common sense decision to unnecessarily avoid exposing more U.S. military personnel to the coronavirus:

South Korea and the United States decided to postpone their springtime joint military exercises over growing concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus, their combined command said Thursday.

The two sides had initially planned to stage their computer-simulated combined command post training in March but decided to put it off “until further notice” in light of Seoul’s decision to raise its alert rating to “severe,” the highest level, over COVID-19, according to the Combined Forces Command (CFC).

It is the first time that the allies have decided to modify combined exercises due to health-related issues.

Yonhap

The news of the exercise cancellation comes on top of the fact that USFK employee in Daegu has now come down with the coronavirus as well.

Here is the latest on the spread of the coronavirus within the Shincheonji Church that is one of the mass infection locations in South Korea:

The Christian sect linked to more than half of South Korea’s COVID-19 infections said its leader’s brother received inpatient treatment for five days before dying at Daenam Hospital, where mass infections occurred.

Also, inpatients in the closed psychiatric ward of the hospital in Cheongdo, near Daegu, stayed out overnight, went out for appointments or had visitors on 25 occasions between Jan. 22 and Feb. 13, according to the hospital.

Most of the confirmed cases at Daenam Hospital were patients and health care workers in the psychiatric ward.

The hospital said it was still looking into how the psychiatric patients initially contracted the coronavirus.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

I take that this news is only going to further pummel air travel on Korean Air:

A Korean Air flight attendant has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the South Korean airline announced on Tuesday. 

Korean Air “is creating a structure to work very closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Korea (CDCK) to prevent the spreading of the virus,” a representative for the airline told Business Insider. 

The airline is disinfecting aircraft, asking flight attendants with symptoms to self-quarantine, and installing thermal cameras at Korean Air’s operations locations.

The confirmed case also prompted Korean Air to temporarily shutter its office near the Incheon International Airport, the main airport in the South Korean capital, Seoul, so it could be disinfected.

Business Insider via a reader tip

You can read more at the link.

Here is the latest from US Army Garrison Camp Humphreys on which facilities on post are currently closed due to the coronavirus:

‼️MWR FACILITY and PROGRAM NOTICES‼️
(Updated 8:26 p.m., February 26)

The following MWR facilities are closed February 27:
– Arts & Crafts Center
– Automotive Skills Center
– CAC/Family Fitness Center
– CAC Indoor Pool
– Discover Seoul
– Downtown Lanes Bowling Center
– Downtown Recreation Center
– First & Ten Restaurant
– Library
– Morning Calm Center
– Parent Central Services (limited Parent Central Services are available at Hess Child Development Center between 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Please call DSN 756-1104/1103 for additional information on limited services.)
– RBGC / Pub
– The White Heron Restaurant
———————————
The following facilities will have normal operation hours on February 27:
– Army Community Service (limited services)
– Flightline Restaurant (limited menu)
– Humphreys Army Lodging 
– Warrior Zone
– Collier Fitness Center
– Collier Indoor Pool
– Sitman Fitness Center
– Turner Fitness Center
– Zoeckler Fitness Center
———————————
The following facility hours of operation are currently pending:
-Texas Roadhouse
———————————
Fitness and martial arts classes are canceled until further notice.
———————————
Effective February 26, operations at all USAG Humphreys Child and Youth Services facilities are suspended. This includes all Child Development Centers, School Age Center, and Youth Center. All Youth Sports, CYS Instructional Programs (SKIES), and Family Fields Trips remain suspended.

Also posted on Facebook is that all ACS classes have been suspended and the on post Pyeongtaek DMV is closed as well. Anyone needing licensing services needs to go to the downtown DMV.

Here is some additional guidance from US Army Garrison Humphreys that was posted on Facebook in regards to off-post activities:

AttentionHumphreys!
Under the current protection measures against COVID-19, military personnel are prohibited from participating in non-essential activities for entertainment. This includes off-post dining in restaurants, bars, clubs or movie theaters. Also, they are to stay away from gatherings larger than 20 people. Restaurant take-out is authorized. The same is recommended for civilian personnel and family members. All on-post activities are authorized.

On top of the closure and limiting of services on post, according to the Stars & Stripes it is taking up to 5 hours for people to enter Camp Humphreys because of the health checks being done at the gates.

Here is the latest gate hours for Camp Humphreys:

Dodu-ri Gate (Adams) (NO CHANGE) – 24 hour POV and Commercial access; All personnel

Donchang-ri (Yoon) (NO CHANGE) – 24 Hour POV access; All personnel 

Hamjeong-ri (CHANGE) – OPEN 0530-1000 FOR INBOUND POV ACCESS; All personnel, No outbound traffic;

Pedestrian Gate (CHANGE) -24 Hour Pedestrian access; All personnel; 

CPX (CHANGE) – OPEN 0530-1000 FOR INBOUND POV ACCESS; DoD ID Card Holder ONLY; No outbound traffic 

Anjeong-ri (CHANGE) – OPEN 0530-1000 FOR CREDENTIALED MEDICAL PROVIDERS AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES ONLY

KNP will assist with off-post Traffic Control at Hamjeong-ri and Donchang-ri gates.

Tough times to be stationed in South Korea currently.

All the best to this young soldier who was moved from his off-base residence outside of Camp Carroll to the military hospital on Camp Humphreys:

 An American soldier has tested positive for the new coronavirus at a base in the area hardest hit by a recent outbreak in South Korea, the military said Wednesday.

The 23-year-old soldier, stationed at Camp Carroll, is the first U.S. service member to be confirmed with an infection of the rapidly spreading pneumonia-like illness called COVID-19.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but at least he was not living in the barracks which would have made the chance of spreading the virus even worse. This infection of a U.S. soldier comes on top of 11 ROK military personnel now infected with the virus as well:

Eleven service members have been confirmed to have the new coronavirus as of early Monday, and around 7,700 others are quarantined as part of efforts to stop the virus from spreading further into barracks, the defense ministry said.

Eight COVID-19 cases in the Army and one each in the Navy, the Air Force and the Marine Corps were confirmed as of 8 a.m. Monday, up from a total of seven cases the previous day, according to the ministry. 

The four newly confirmed soldiers are suspected of having been exposed to the virus after contacting patients inside barracks, according to military officers. South Korea reported the first virus case among its service personnel on Friday.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.