The Defense Ministry said Wednesday it has set up a task force to prevent the MERS virus from spreading to service personnel.

It is part of a set of precautionary measures the military authorities came up with in the wake of the outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

South Korea has so far confirmed 30 MERS cases since the outbreak of the disease here some two weeks ago.

"The ministry set up an emergency response team Saturday and will run four epidemiological survey teams at the headquarters of the three branches of military service and the medical command," Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said.

The authorities have also decided to immediately quarantine enlisted candidates who show symptoms of the deadly virus and to send them home.

Reservists were also allowed to delay their mandatory training session, in case they have visited the Middle East in recent weeks, been in close contact with MERS patients or stayed at hospitals that harbor those infected.

"Many people from different areas gather at boot camps and reservists' training camps, so we've decided to prevent such chances from the outset," Kim said, adding the measures will be implemented immediately.

In a move to prevent the virus from spreading into barracks, the military has also advised soldiers to refrain from taking a leave and their friends and family members from visiting the camps.

"We will come up with additional precautionary steps to protect service personnel," he added. (Yonhap)