{"id":55191,"date":"2020-02-26T02:56:40","date_gmt":"2020-02-26T02:56:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/02\/26\/first-us-service-member-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-in-south-korea\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:40:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:40:06","slug":"first-us-service-member-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-in-south-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/02\/26\/first-us-service-member-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-in-south-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"American soldier stationed in South Korea first service member to test positive for coronavirus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A U.S. soldier stationed in South Korea became the first service member to test positive for the coronavirus \u2014 a day after the widow <\/a>of a retired soldier living in Daegu, South Korea, contracted the virus, according to U.S. Forces Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The soldier, who is 23 years old and is stationed at Camp Carroll near Daegu, visited Camp Carroll between Feb. 21-25, and neighboring Camp Walker on Feb. 24. He is currently being quarantined at his home off base, according to the command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKCDC and USFK health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether any others may have been exposed,\u201d USFK said in a news release Feb. 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUSFK is implementing all appropriate control measures to help control the spread of COVID-19 and remains at risk level \u2018high\u2019 for USFK peninsula-wide as a prudent measure to protect the force,\u201d USFK said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Camp
In this Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020 photo, a U.S. military policeman and South Korean security person check visitors at the U.S. Army base Camp Walker, in Daegu, South Korea. (Kim Hyun-tae\/Yonhap via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On Monday, USFK announced that a 61-year-old widow of a retired soldier had contracted the virus, a step that pushed USFK to update the risk level for the command from moderate to high<\/a>. At the time, the widow was the only one affiliated with USFK to contract the virus, known as COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The command said Monday the widow visited Camp Walker\u2019s Post Exchange on Feb. 12 and Feb. 15 and that authorities were conducting contract tracing to see if anyone else had been exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are more than 80,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus around the world, including more than 77,000 within China, the World Health Organization said in an update the morning of Feb. 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In South Korea alone, there have been more than 1,000 confirmed cases of the virus, the South China Morning Post reports<\/a>. That makes South Korea the country with the most confirmed cases outside of China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the weekend, South Korea President Moon Jae-in updated the anti-virus alert level to \u201cRed,” providing South Korean authorities the ability to close schools and cut back on public transportation services, among other measures. A \u201cRed\u201d alert level has not been issued in 10 years, per the Associated Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to the outbreak, U.S. Army Garrison Daegu announced Sunday that USFK and the Department of Defense Education Activity had decided schools will remain out of session through Feb. 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\t