All service personnel will be temporarily banned  from leaving their bases for vacation from Friday following the outbreak of an infection cluster at an Army boot camp the previous day.

The Defense Ministry said on Thursday that vacationing will be suspended until December 7 as all troops will be subject to tightened Level Two-point-Five social distancing rules in barracks. The ban on off-base visits has already been in place since Thursday. 

It's the fourth time the military banned troops from vacationing since the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in the country. 

Under Level Two-point-Five, military officers are restricted from having private meetings, while in-person religious gatherings and business trips are also prohibited. 
  
The ministry warned that it will strongly reprimand troops who violate the rules, resulting in a COVID-19 infection or its spread to others.