President Moon Jae-in ordered the immediate deployment of quarantine and medical personnel, after six service members onboard a South Korean destroyer on an anti-piracy mission off the coast of Africa tested positive for COVID-19.

At a meeting with his aides on Thursday, Moon also called for deliveries of medical supplies to the four-thousand-400-ton Munmu the Great, carrying the Cheonghae Unit.

If the situation on the vessel or in the nearby region does not allow the required treatment, Moon ordered that the patients be repatriated as soon as possible.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said tests will be conducted on all 300 service members on board, as around 80 that are showing symptoms are under cohort isolation.