36 service members at Army unit test positive for new coronavirus

SEOUL, Oct. 5 (Yonhap) -- Three dozen soldiers and officers at an Army unit in the northern city of Pocheon have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Monday.

Three of them were first confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 on Sunday before all other members of the unit went through virus tests and 33 of them tested positive as of 7 a.m. Monday, according to the ministry.

The military and health authorities are tracing their routes of infection, but the exact cause has yet to be identified, according to the officials.

The infections came despite a ban that the defense ministry imposed on service members' vacations and restrictions on their off-installation outings to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. The restrictions are supposed to be in place until Oct. 11 in line with the government's social distancing guidance.

"We've completely banned movements of the unit members and are carrying out contact tracing and investigation into infection routes," a ministry official said.

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