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Shincheonji Church Leader’s Brother Dies from Coronavirus

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.

Tweet of the Day: Weird Suicide

Picture of the Day: ROK Army Troops Scan Driver

Troops check driver for fever
Troops check driver for fever
Troops belonging to the Army’s 50th division check the driver of an ambulance for fever near its base in northern Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Feb. 26, 2020. The military is taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among its ranks. (Yonhap)

Korean Air Flight Attendant Tests Positive for the Coronavirus

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.

Camp Humphreys Closes Many Services and Wait Times to Enter Post Near 5 Hours Due to Coronavirus

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.

A stream of vehicles wait to enter the Dongchang-ri gate at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, as soldiers screen visitors for the new coronavirus.

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.

Camp Carroll Soldier Becomes First USFK Servicemember Infected with Coronavirus; 11 More Korean Military Personnel Infected

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:

A 2nd Infantry Division soldier checks for a temperature as dozens of vehicles line up to enter the Dongchang-ri gate at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020.

 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.

Tweet of the Day: The Joint Duty Office

https://twitter.com/UN_Command/status/1232212695346057216

Picture of the Day: Chinese Students Enter South Korea

Chinese students enter country
Chinese students enter countryChinese students arrive at a dormitory on the campus of Chungbuk National University in Cheongju, 137 kilometers south of Seoul, on Feb. 24, 2020, for two weeks of isolation amid the coronavirus crisis. They are among the Chinese students studying in the country who entered the country earlier in the day. Some 10,000 students from China are expected to enter the country within the week ahead of their spring semester. (Yonhap)

Former President Lee Temporarily Out of Jail for Health Reasons

Here is the latest on the status of former President Lee:

Former President Lee Myung-bak is set to be released from jail later Tuesday, six days after he was put into custody following a court ruling, as he reappealed against the recent ruling.

The release comes after an appellate court sentenced him to 17 years in prison last week on charges of bribery and embezzlement.

He was taken back into custody after he was released on bail on health concerns in March 2019.

Lee, who re-appealed last week‘s ruling, is known to have cited relevant law to get released.

The 78-year-old, who is currently held at a detention center in Seoul, is expected to be let go at midnight.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Cases of Coronavirus Infections in South Korea Nears 1,000

The virus continues to spread in South Korea with no hints of slowing down yet:

Workers clad in protective gear sort out equipment for disinfection at the LS Yongsan Tower in Seoul on Feb. 25, 2020. They disinfected the closed high-rise after a worker there was found to be infected with the new coronavirus the previous day. (Yonhap)

With the number of confirmed coronavirus cases nearing 1,000 on Tuesday, South Korea vowed to maximize its containment measures in the southeastern city of Daegu and neighboring North Gyeongsang Province, where some 800 cases have been reported so far. 

The 144 additional cases brought the nation’s total infections to 977, according to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). It marked a more than 30-fold surge since Feb. 18, when the number stood at 31. 

Two clusters of infections — at a branch of a religious sect in Daegu and a hospital in the neighboring county of Cheongdo — have continued to expand, accounting for about 70 percent of the total cases in the country.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.