US military lifts Seoul travel ban as South Korea continues to wrestle with COVID-19

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — The command overseeing U.S. troops in South Korea has lifted its pandemic ban on nonessential travel to Seoul soon after maintaining the metropolis off-restrictions far more than three months.

U.S. Forces Korea did away with the ban on Thursday, in accordance to a information launch. The command is liable for about 28,500 assistance members, together with civilian workforce, contractors and their people. &#13

USFK reminded its inhabitants to adhere to all South Korean regulations and rules aimed at stopping the unfold of COVID-19. “USFK will continue on to keep an eye on and assess the COVID atmosphere and will make more changes to shield the pressure and our mission,” the release reported.&#13

Meanwhile, South Korea continued to wrestle with a surge in new scenarios. It noted a pandemic one-day high of 470 fatalities on Wednesday, and 395,598 new bacterial infections, in accordance to the Korea Condition Command and Prevention Agency’s update on Thursday.&#13

South Korea attained a pandemic peak of 621,205 scenarios on March 17, according to the KDCA.&#13

Seoul regularly set the pace for COVID-19 in South Korea until finally the omicron wave commenced to build in late 2021. Gyeonggi province, the most populous province and the household of Camp Humphreys and Osan Air Foundation, started to demonstrate the most new bacterial infections.&#13

Gyeonggi noted 107,472 new instances Wednesday Seoul accounted for 77,770, according to KDCA’s update.&#13

USFK counted 485 new scenarios in a weeklong period of time ending Monday. The command counted 302 new instances the prior week.&#13

USFK declared no other pandemic coverage alterations Thursday. Indoor dining at eating places and visits to film theaters are allowed, but military staff are continue to banned from off-post bars, golf equipment, saunas, spas and karaoke corporations.&#13

Leisurely visits to the capital metropolis were being banned on Jan. 8 after USFK increased its well being defense problem from Bravo to Bravo-plus. &#13

The military’s COVID-19 infections hit a pandemic peak just after the holiday getaway period with 1,599 instances amongst Jan. 4 and 11. USFK then heightened its social distancing measures “due to the connected chance of potential exposure to virus.”&#13

USFK calm its COVID-19 mitigation measures this thirty day period as the South Korean federal government loosened restrictions all over the place. On Tuesday, a day just after South Korea dropped its required quarantine plan for new arrivals, the command declared that totally vaccinated personnel were being no longer expected to isolate soon after arriving in South Korea.