Nine coronavirus cases among US service members in South Korea, general confirms

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The head of U.S. forces in South Korea said Friday morning there are nine cases of coronavirus among the service members, relatives and employees working on American bases on the peninsula, a rise from seven last week.

The two new cases involve an employee at a base Burger King and a contractor, Gen. Robert Abrams told Pentagon reporters via video teleconference from his headquarters in South Korea.

So far, only one U.S. Army soldier has been infected out of 28,500 troops. He was diagnosed last month.

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Abrams said 145 people have been tested at various bases and said anyone who wants a test can get it.

Army soldiers spray disinfectant as a precaution against a new coronavirus at an apartment building in Daegu, South Korea, Monday, March 9, 2020.  (Kim Ju-sung/Yonhap via AP)

Abrams says he is seeing a “downward trend” with coronavirus on the peninsula. At one point, 300 personnel had self-quarantined, today that number is 55, Abrams said.

The small number of cases among U.S. military personnel and their families as well as base employees is a product of a “fundamental change “ in lifestyle, which began in late January with orders by Gen. Abrams to take the outbreak seriously, “similar to how we operate in combat,” he said.

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“We are not out of the woods yet,” Abrams warned.  “We haven’t taken our foot off the gas.”

Asked if North Korea has any cases of the coronavirus, Abrams replied, “We are fairly certain they do.”  The rogue communist regime claims they do not have a single case.

Abrams said North Korean forces “locked down” for 30 days and didn’t fly a military airplane for 24 days.

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The U.S. military continues military training despite the outbreak, Abrams said.

“We’re still flying. We’re still training.”