I guess we will see if this helps to slow the spread of COVID:

Gatherings of five people or more will be banned in the greater Seoul area in an effort to curb the ongoing spread of COVID-19 which has been showing no signs of abating.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and neighboring local governments in Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, Monday, the stricter social distancing measure will take effect from Wednesday and last until to Jan. 3, the period when many Christmas and year-end gatherings and events are expected to take place.

The ban on gatherings of more than four people is a stronger measure than restrictions that could be applied under the highest Level 3 social distancing, in which gatherings of 10 or more people are prohibited.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This may seem like a big number, but I believe this just shows USFK’s screening measures for the coronavirus are working as intended:

Fifteen American service members, five family members and one U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) retiree tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival in South Korea from the United States over the past few weeks, the USFK said Monday.

Of them, five service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on U.S. government-chartered flights between Nov. 29 and Dec. 19, according to the U.S. military. 

Ten other service personnel, five dependents and one USFK retiree arrived on commercial flights at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, it added. 

Fourteen of them tested positive on their first mandatory COVID-19 test prior to entering quarantine, and the remainder were confirmed to have contracted the virus on their second mandatory test, according to the USFK.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but if USFK was not screening newly arriving personnel so stringently it is likely that the low case numbers USFK has experienced overall would not have happened.

To me this number is more concerning than the daily case rate being over a 1,000 for five days:

The government’s ongoing random testing, launched in the greater Seoul area at the beginning of this week, has identified nearly 300 cases of COVID-19 so far, a government agency on the coronavirus pandemic said Saturday.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, an additional 116 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 at the capital area random testing centers Friday, raising the five-day total to 286.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but this random testing shows that the coronavirus has likely spread to far more people than what is currently believed.

I would not be surprised of the daily case numbers stay over 1,000 based on the trends we are seeing in other northern hemisphere countries right now:

 South Korea’s new coronavirus cases spiked by more than 1,000 for the fifth straight day to hit a fresh record high Sunday, putting the country’s virus battle in the most trouble so far amid rising death tolls.

The country added 1,097 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,072 local infections, raising the total caseload to 49,665, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The tally marked a rise from 1,053 cases Saturday and 1,062 Friday. The previous record high was reported at 1,078 on Wednesday.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This announcement will probably set off a whole new round of jokes about the Space Force:

Troops serving in Space Force are now referred to as Guardians, Vice President Mike Pence announced Friday.

“It is my honor on behalf of the president to announce henceforth the men and women of the United States Space Force will be known as Guardians,” Pence said during a ceremony to celebrate Space Force’s first birthday, which is Dec. 20. “Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Guardians will be defending our nation for generations to come.”

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but does anyone have any alternative ideas on what Space Force personnel should be called?