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ROK military working diligently to contain coronavirus

Top Stories | Mar 2, 2020:

Felix Kim

Republic of Korea (ROK) military forces are mobilizing to contain the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus among its personnel and the civilian population by setting up medical facilities and by instituting quarantines and travel restrictions.

Nearly 1,000 ROK service members were quarantined as of February 11, 2020, because they had visited China, Hong Kong or Macao over the previous 14 days or had been in contact with people who visited those places, according to Yonhap, the government-affiliated news agency.

Chartered planes recently carried South Korean civilians back home from Wuhan City, Hubei province, in China, the epicenter of what is now called the coronavirus, or COVID19, outbreak. The ROK Army Medical Command is caring for them while they are quarantined, according to a news release from ROK’s Ministry of National Defense (MND). The command is housing civilians at military facilities, including the Defense Language Institute in an isolated location southwest of Seoul.

The medical command is using an advanced mobile telemedicine system to manage communications during the quarantine.

“When an emergency patient [situation] occurs,” stated the MND release, “the patient status information can be shared and consulted with the medical staff at the remote site in a multisite video call during the onsite or evacuation process. In addition, the military has provided medical and support personnel to 21 locations including airports and ports to support epidemiological investigations and quarantine.”

As of February 4, 2020, 200 ROK military personnel had been stationed at the 21 sites to “support epidemiological investigation and quarantine,” the release added. These include medical experts and Soldiers as well as interpreters to aid quarantined foreign nationals.

So far, none of the quarantined Soldiers has contracted the virus, but they are being isolated as a preventive measure, according to MND spokesman Choi Hyun-soo.

“About 170 Soldiers were isolated after visiting China, and 630 others were in contact with third parties such as their families,” Choi said.

Up to 300 officers and 490 Soldiers were among the quarantined personnel, he added. (Pictured: Republic of Korea Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo visits a coronavirus situation room at Incheon International Airport.)

Travel restrictions have been introduced for military personnel, Choi said, and their body temperatures are regularly checked after they have been away from their posts or have come into contact with outsiders.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Wook Suh hosted a videoconference for top commanders, MND reported, to inform them of steps to block the inflow of troops who may have been exposed to the virus and prepare them for the effects that virus precautions may have on combat readiness and training. Wook emphasized the need to communicate correct information to Soldiers about the virus and for strict hygiene management.

Felix Kim is a FORUM contributor reporting from Seoul, South Korea.

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