Two Army soldiers in the northern county of Gapyeong tested positive for the new coronavirus in cases traced to the massive infection cluster at a Seoul church, the defense ministry said Wednesday.

The two had contact with another soldier confirmed to have the virus after coming into contact with a civilian worker at a training regiment in Gapyeong, about 55 kilometers northeast of Seoul. That civilian, who runs a shop inside the base, tested positive following a visit to the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul.

Infections tied to the church among military members have grown to seven.

"All the service personnel of the base underwent virus tests, and except for the five, all the others tested negative," a defense ministry official said.

As of Tuesday, the total number of patients linked to the church stood at 457 across the country, according to health authorities.

So far, the military reported 90 coronavirus patients. Currently, 737 service members are in isolation in accordance with the health authorities' guidelines, and the military has quarantined an additional 3,131 people under stricter anti-virus schemes of its own as a preventive step.

To prevent the further spread of the virus into the barracks, the defense ministry restricted all service members from vacationing and off-installation trips from Wednesday until the end of this month. (Yonhap)