Quarantine on a Military Base: Korea Edition
If you are about to head to Korea (or any other duty station that requires an on post quarantine in the barracks) for your two weeks of quarantine i’m here to tell you all the tips on how to survive and make it out on the other side with your sanity in tact! I will also go through some FAQs of quarantine so you can save time scrolling through the Facebook pages for answers. I’ll be honest, quarantine was not fun, but there are definitely things you can prepare for to make it a better experience. I’ve included a packing list as well for you to download at the end of this blog! I will be specifically talking about quarantine at Camp Humphreys in South Korea, but most of these tips will apply to you at any duty location.
Connect with your sponsor
Your sponsor is going to be your main line of support. If you have not contacted your sponsor yet, do so asap! This is the person that will be able to bring you things you need and sign you out of quarantine at the end. They are your GO TO person. If you have friends already here, they can of course help you out as well while you are in quarantine by dropping things off at the front desk for you.
Join your quarantine support Facebook page
For Humphreys this is named “Humphreys Quarantine Support”. This is going to be your best resource for things while you are in quarantine. The Facebook page is run by civilians looking to help out the poor souls in quarantine. Here you will find local businesses offering their services like homemade meals, coffee runs, etc. You will also be able to place orders for the PX and Commissary through the links found in this page.
Pack your own pillows, towels, and blankets
You will be given pillows and a blanket for each bed but they are very minimal and not great quality. It is definitely worth it to save space for these items in your suitcase. You are given ZERO towels in quarantine so these are nonnegotiable to pack! I would recommend at least 3 because you will only be allowed to do your laundry once during your 14 days. I made a packing list for you to download, print out, and use for yourself below! You can also check out my recommended items for quarantine on Amazon.
Order a TV from the PX
Our room did not come with a TV so we bought a small one from the PX and had it delivered the day we arrived. This was a game changer! We actually just bought a monitor because we brought my husband’s XBOX and connected it. You can bring a gaming system or just buy a smart tv, Roku, Firestick, etc. You will have a LOT of time on your hands. Pick a few shows and binge! We finished the entire series of Breaking Bad in quarantine.
Be productive with your time
While you are in quarantine you are able to get a lot of things done that can make your inprocessing or next steps in country a lot easier. Here are some things I suggest…
You can complete your Korean driver's license required course and test from a computer (You will need your CAC, a CAC reader for your computer, OR an account with JKO) We ordered a CAC reader from the PX and it was delivered to our room the same day for my husband. You will take a 2 hour course online and then complete the test. When you get out of quarantine your US license is good for another 2 weeks, but you can go to the drivers license center and just pick up your Korean drivers licence since you completed the test in quarantine!
To pick up your license after quarantine you will head to TMP (Transportation Motor Pool) building 7325 on base at Humphreys. Go to room 203 and tell them you took the test online. You will need your DOD ID of course.
If you are authorized to have a vehicle on base and you did not ship your own, you should start looking for a car in quarantine. You can do this by joining marketplace Facebook groups for your base. At Camp Humphreys the ones we used were called “Camp Humphreys Buy Sell Trade NO RULES”, and “USED CARS CAMP HUMPHREYS & OSAN AB”. Start looking for cars you like and message the sellers. We were able to find one we liked and we bought it within an HOUR of getting out of quarantine because we talked with the seller beforehand about when we were getting out. It was perfect. Make sure your seller brings all of the necessary paperwork and you will be good to go. You will need to go to the DMV to finish the paperwork with the seller of the car as well.
If you plan to live OFF POST, you can talk to realtors during quarantine. In order to rent an apartment or house here in Korea you will need a realtor to help you. Yes, even with an apartment. I found my realtor on Facebook and we were able to discuss the kind of place I wanted. We met her the day we got out of quarantine and signed a lease a few days later because of all the talking we were able to do while I was in quarantine. If you are coming to Camp Humphreys I HIGHLY recommend Yon from J&T Realty. I can get you connected to her if you need help! You can see lots of apartments virtually by looking on YouTube and Facebook. Realtors can send you links to different places. Yon went to the places and took videos for me when we were in quarantine, she is the best!
Bring books, puzzles, games, etc
Quarantine is a great time to finally catch up on those books you always said you would read. Bring 1-3 books! If you need recommendations check out my Amazon list here. I was also able to finish 2 large puzzles in quarantine and this helped pass the time. YOU WILL GET BORED so plan to bring things like this that you enjoy and will help you pass the time.
Order things
Let’s be honest, the food can get a little boring when you’re being served the same lunch every day. Thankfully there are options for you. You can order groceries to be delivered from the commissary thanks to the wonderful volunteer shoppers or you can order takeout. Your takeout options will depend on your quarantine location. This is all in your quarantine Facebook group under “GUIDES”
FAQS
Who is allowed to quarantine on base?
Service members and their dependents with a military DOD ID can quarantine on post. You will need to check your base’s current guidelines on who is required to quarantine and in what way. This is ever changing! Right now there are different guidelines for people fully vaccinated. Ask your COC for the most up to date information.
What are the rooms like?
This depends on the availability at the time and if you are coming in with a family or as a single person. If you are coming with family you will get your own room or suite. If you are being assigned to one of the older barracks like I was, you will have 1 small room with 2 twin beds, a small “kitchen” area that leads to the bathroom, and a shower/toilet. You will get a fridge, microwave, and cabinets. There is no stove to cook on or anything provided in the cabinets. If you are placed in one of the newer barracks I believe you will be equipped with a nicer kitchen and table. It depends on the availability of the rooms at the time of your arrival. To see what my room actually looked like check out my YouTube video here
When are the Covid tests?
Yep, even though you were required to have a negative PCR test to travel, and you are required to wear a mask on the flights, you still have to get another PCR test upon arrival to the base. You will get this test right before entering your quarantine barrack and you should get your result on your 3rd day. You will get another test on your 12th day of quarantine in order for your test result to come back for day 14.
Can I use my cell phone? Do I need a new sim card?
Yes and yes! You will need to make sure that your phone is “unlocked” or fully paid off from your provider in the states. WHen you arrive in Korea you will need to get a new sim card and a new phone plan for your Korean number. Call your provider in the states and pay off your phone if it has any remaining balance and ask to unlock it. Sometimes this can take a few days to process. You should be able to put your American number on hold for the time you are going to be in Korea. When you are in quarantine you can literally order a new sim card to be delivered to your door. We got cards with KT Wireless and our plan is about $55 a month. Check out this link for more info on KT Wireless at Humphreys. https://www.facebook.com/kt.olleh.humphreys/
Is there WiFi in quarantine?
You betcha! Did you know that South Korea has the fastest internet in the world? ;)
Can we exercise?
You will be given “rec time” outside where you can walk around in a field (yes it really feels like prison, hah!) for 1 hour a day once your first PCR Covid test comes back negative. When you get your second PCR test on day 10, your rec time will be revoked. If it is raining, your rec time will likely get canceled that day. We brought resistance bands to do some workouts in our room. You will have very little room but if you are motivated enough, you can definitely make it happen!
What happens after quarantine?
Your sponsor should come to sign you out and you will be taken by bus to your assigned living quarters. For us that was Army Lodging because we weren’t able to get into the SLQ the same day. It all depends on what you are being assigned to through housing.
Check out how quarantine went for me in my YouTube video here!