(LEAD) Another soldier at Camp Casey tests positive for COVID-19

Defense 20:17 December 02, 2020

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES throughout with more info)

SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Yonhap) -- An American soldier stationed at Camp Casey, north of Seoul, tested positive for the new coronavirus on Wednesday, after another service member at the base was confirmed to have contracted the virus over the weekend, the U.S. military said.

The soldier has been transferred to an isolation facility designated for confirmed COVID-19 patients at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, according to the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

"Contact tracing is ongoing, and USFK medical teams are actively ensuring that all known Camp Casey facilities visited by the soldier are thoroughly cleaned," it said in a statement.

The new case was confirmed under the U.S. military's "surveillance testing program" conducted at the base in the city of Dongducheon after another soldier there tested positive on Saturday.

USFK said the latest infection marked the first virus case confirmed under the surveillance testing program in which more than 5,000 tests were completed peninsula-wide to prevent undetected mass spreading.

The total number of coronavirus cases reported among the USFK-affiliated population rose to 383, most of whom tested positive upon their arrival here from the United States.

As South Korea braces for another wave of infections in the winter, USFK has extended its ban on members' off-post activities at saunas, fitness facilities, internet cafes and music lessons across the country.

Travel to or within Area II defined as the Seoul metropolitan area, including the western city of Incheon, is also prohibited until further notice.