(LEAD) USFK employee tests positive for virus, total at 10

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SEOUL, March 24 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. citizen working for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of USFK-related infection cases to 10, the military said Tuesday.

The COVID-19 patient, who works at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, is now in isolation at his off-base residence as directed by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), USFK said, adding he last visited the base Friday.

"KCDC and USFK are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether anyone else may have been exposed," USFK said in a release.

USFK remains at a level "high" risk peninsulawide and is implementing all appropriate control measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 as a prudent measure to protect the force, it added.

Of the total 10 cases, one is an active-duty service member, with the remaining nine being either Korean or U.S. workers, or dependents of USFK soldiers.

graceoh@yna.co.kr
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