Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of the US military in South Korea, banned service members from “non-essential travel” to and from Daegu on Wednesday, after a surge in cases of COVID-19 linked to church services there. 

The total number of infected people in Korea was at 104 as of Thursday afternoon.

The commander of United States Forces Korea said service members who attended church services in Daegu would undergo mandatory self-quarantine. He urged their family members to do the same as part of precautions to contain the virus.

All schools in Daegu installations, including child development centers, were closed Thursday. The US military will decide whether to reopen them Friday. All workers at the Daegu installations were also required to fill out medical questionnaires at entrances, while visitors on non-essential business were banned from entering.

The US military said the measures were temporary and would be reevaluated every 24 hours. It has elevated the risk level for personnel and installations across the country to “moderate.” No American here has been confirmed to be infected with the virus so far.

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