U.S. Troops and Families Stationed in South Korea to Undergo Pre-Departure COVID-19 Testing

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Beginning on August 21st, U.S. military personnel and their families departing for South Korea will undergo COVID-19 pre-departure testing before leaving the United States mainland.

Pyeongtaek City announced on the 14th that amid growing public concerns over continued confirmed cases among U.S. military personnel entering South Korea, it has achieved this result through persistent recommendations to U.S. Forces Korea regarding the necessity of pre-entry screening for military personnel.

The city has consistently worked to prevent COVID-19 spread among the U.S. military in South Korea by proposing a joint disaster response agreement to the U.S. Army's Eighth Army headquarters in May, conducting two on-site visits to Camp Humphreys to examine and verify quarantine systems, issuing official notices regarding adherence to quarantine guidelines, and holding discussions with key commanders.

In particular, the city persistently recommended through various channels the necessity of COVID-19 pre-departure testing (PCR) for U.S. military personnel before entry.

As a result of these efforts, the U.S. Army announced on the 11th that beginning August 21st, it will implement a policy requiring self-quarantine for two weeks before departure and COVID-19 pre-departure testing within 72 hours before departure for outbound personnel and their families.

Additionally, on the 13th, the city established a working group with related agencies (U.S. Forces Korea - Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Gyeonggi Province - Pyeongtaek City) at the Pyeongtaek International Exchange Center to jointly respond to COVID-19 involving U.S. military personnel, and conducted in-depth discussions on ▲promoting an MOU between 'Pyeongtaek Health Center and the U.S. Army's 65th Medical Squadron' ▲establishing hotlines among related agencies ▲information sharing and cooperation measures, and agreed to continue close cooperation based on communication systems going forward.

Pyeongtaek Mayor Jung Jang-seon said, "The absence of community transmission since April 3rd, excluding overseas entrants, is thanks to both citizens and U.S. Forces Korea actively cooperating with social distancing and quarantine measures in daily life," adding "Going forward, through close cooperation and coordination with U.S. Forces Korea and related agencies, we will make all possible efforts to prevent COVID-19 spread so that citizens can feel reassured."