A total of six military personnel were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 as of Sunday, and 1,300 service members were quarantined, the Ministry of National Defense said.

All six of the infected individuals, including two officers and one civilian worker, were found to have visited either Daegu or adjacent North Gyeongsang Province. The surge in cases of COVID-19 linked to church services there brought the national tally to 602 as of Sunday afternoon.

“More and more soldiers are suspected of having come into contact with those confirmed to be infected. We’re expanding the quarantine,” a Defense Ministry official said.

About 6,400 military personnel and their family members had visited the COVID-19 clusters in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. Those people would be put into a quarantine with their health conditions checked up twice a day, the ministry added.

A lockdown is in effect for all service members in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, with no visitors allowed. Soldiers and officers across all bases are prohibited from taking leave or seeing visitors, with few exceptions such as family emergencies. The ministry suspended the conscription of soldiers there.

By Choi Si-young (siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)