A soldier in Jeju has tested positive for the novel coronavirus on a provisional test, raising the fear that the contagious disease might have spread into the southern island province. 

The provincial government said on Thursday that a 22-year-old navy sailor serving on the island has been quarantined in a negative pressure isolation room at Jeju National University Hospital since taking the test earlier in the day. 

The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Institute of Environment Research is looking into collected specimens from his body and will issue a final diagnosis on Friday morning. 

The soldier visited his hometown of Daegu from last Thursday to Tuesday. Since Tuesday, nearly 50 people in the city and surrounding North Gyeongsang Province have been diagnosed with the contagious disease as of Thursday afternoon. 

On Wednesday, he complained of suspicious symptoms including coughing and was put in isolation later in his barracks. 

The provincial government is also looking into the conditions of his fellow soldiers.