US military says some US service members in South Korea may be quarantined to stop the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus

• US service members in South Korea face the possibility of quarantine if they recently returned to their posts from mainland China.
• A 14-day self-quarantine has been put in place for US military personnel who returned to South Korea from China between Jan. 19 and Feb. 2, USFK said in a statement Sunday.
• Gen. Robert Abrams, US Forces Korea commander, tweeted Sunday that "we are taking all appropriate measures to prevent any potential spread of the virus." He added: "If not feeling well-get screened ASAP!
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US service members in South Korea face the possibility of quarantine if they recently returned to their posts from mainland China, US Forces Korea announced Sunday as the novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China continues to spread.

A 14-day self-quarantine has been put in place for US military personnel who returned to South Korea from China between Jan. 19 and Feb. 2, USFK said in a statement. There are already 15 cases of the coronavrius in South Korea, where around 28,500 US troops are stationed.

"The 14-day quarantine, which equals the incubation period for the novel coronavirus, begins from the date the individual(s) returns to S. Korea, regardless if they display symptoms or not," the statement explained.

"USFK continues to stress the overall risk to USFK personnel remains low, but that the quarantine measures implemented are out of an abundance of caution to mitigate risk to the USFK population," USFK further stated.

Gen. Robert Abrams, US Forces Korea commander, tweeted Sunday that "we are taking all appropriate measures to prevent any potential spread of the virus."

"Key for everyone is to follow standard hygiene protocols, and if not feeling well-get screened ASAP!" the commander added.

This past week, the US government declared a public health emergency as the Wuhan coronavirus spread. The death toll has surpassed 300, and the number of infected is over 14,000. On Saturday, the Department of Defense announced it was preparing four military facilities to house up to 1,000 quarantined individuals should such an action be necessary.

There are already 195 people, evacuees from Wuhan, quarantined at March Air Reserve Base in California.