A crewmember of another Russian ship at anchor in Busan has tested positive for coronavirus.
According to health authorities on Tuesday, the man arrived on the Russian trawler Kairos, which docked on June 16 for repairs with a crew of 44.
“Twenty-two of the crewmembers asked for permission to disembark for a visit to town on Monday. They were tested, and one of them came back positive,” a health official said.
The other 21 were also told to stay on board, and retesting is underway in case there were false negatives. Authorities are also going to test the remaining 22 crew.
The ship has been in dock since its arrival for repairs on the hull and engine. Up to 50 Korean maintenance workers may have boarded it during that time.
Health authorities are trying to establish exactly how many came in contact with Russian crewmembers.
Meanwhile, Korea reported 39 new cases on Wednesday morning, 28 of them foreign arrivals, bringing the total to 13,551.