In this file photo, captured from the Facebook account of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), an American medic looks at the first batch of Janssen COVID-19 vaccines at Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, which the USFK introduced on March 9, 2021.
SEOUL, May 27 (Korea Bizwire) — U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday it will begin allowing fully vaccinated members to visit bars and clubs this week outside the Seoul metropolitan area.
The move that will be effective from Friday comes as about 75 percent of the USFK-affiliated population has been vaccinated so far since its COVID-19 inoculation campaign started in December.
“While USFK is authorizing bars and clubs for those fully vaccinated, all karaoke rooms, sauna and bathhouses remain off-limits to USFK-affiliated personnel,” USFK spokesman Col. Lee Peters said, adding that they should follow all South Korean rules and laws to prevent the spread of the virus.
The U.S. military has banned its members from visiting bars and clubs amid the fourth wave of infections in South Korea. The country reported 629 more infections Thursday, bringing the total caseload to 138,311.
USFK also said eight of its service members have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival here this month, raising the total number of infections reported among the USFK-affiliated population to 875.
Four of them arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, around 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on U.S. government chartered flights, while the others traveled via commercial flights, according to the U.S. military.
“All individuals have since been transferred to an isolation facility designated for confirmed COVID-19 cases at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys or Osan Air Base,” USFK said in a release.
(Yonhap)
