Published: August 16, 2020
SEOUL, South Korea — As coronavirus cases spiked in South Korea, the U.S. military said it would reimpose restrictions nationwide effective Monday, including health checks at access gates, limited access to base stores and minimum essential staffing at work.
The reversal came Sunday as South Korea’s number of confirmed cases reached triple digits for the third day in a row.
U.S. Forces Korea, which includes some 28,500 troops, announced Saturday that it was raising the health protection level to “Charlie” for Seoul and surrounding areas.
The commander of Camp Humphreys, the main Army garrison, said Sunday that was being extended for all bases on the divided peninsula, beginning at 5 a.m. Monday.
HPCON Charlie indicates an area is experiencing sustained community transmission, according to the Defense Department.
... South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 279 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the highest daily increase since early March.
It was the third consecutive day that the numbers reached triple digits, with 166 on Saturday and 103 on Friday, raising fears of another massive outbreak.
