Okinawa: US military bases hit by Covid-19
The lockdown order, which was issued Saturday morning, bans almost all off-base movement by the tens of thousands of US military personnel on the bases unless approved by an officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel or above.
The Okinawa prefectural governor’s office said 62 cases of Covid-19 had been diagnosed among the personnel at the US Marines Corps’ Air Station Futenma, Camp Hansen and Camp Kinza as of Sunday. The US military does not release any numbers on virus cases due to security concerns.
A statement from US Air Force Brig. Gen. Joel Carey, the commander of Kadena Air Base, on Friday said “multiple new positive cases” had emerged on US military facilities on the island as well as three cases among the local population.
“The US cases have primarily been Marines assigned to MCAS Futenma and Camp Hansen, and have been a mix of both travel related and those with origins we’ve yet to be able to identify indicating the potential of a reemergence of community spread,” Carey’s statement posted on the base’s website said.
US Marine Corps bases were put under Health Protection Condition Charlie, which, according to a Marine website, bans any off-base activity except traveling to and from the bases to residences. Any other travel requires the approval of a senior officer.
US military personnel and their families, including US civilian contractors, are not permitted to visit any off-base establishments, use public transportation, or even exercise outdoors, under Condition Charlie. Personnel may also not take any leave or vacation time.
The Kadena Air Base Facebook page said it also was under Health Protection Condition Charlie, but the Air Force restrictions were slightly less stringent than those issued by the Marines, allowing visits to off-base grocery stores, pharmacies and food drive-thrus.
Despite the restrictions, Okinawa government officials expressed frustration with the US forces.
The governor’s office said US military personnel arriving on the island were being housed in hotels in the Chatan district of the island, near Kadena Air Base because on-base facilities were filled with US personnel in Covid-19 isolation.
Tamaki told public broadcaster NHK News that the surge in US cases comes after the island had done well preventing coronavirus cases.
“I am shocked. It is extremely regrettable that a large number of cases are occurring in a short period of time at a time when all Okinawans are trying so hard to prevent the infection from spreading,” he said.
Okinawa had zero new cases between May 1 and July 7. Total number as of July 10 is 145 infections, which includes seven deaths.
The Japanese capital and the country as a whole have seen surging cases of Covid-19 for the past week. On Sunday, 411 new cases were reported across the country, 206 of those in Tokyo, the fourth day in a row it had seen more than 200 new cases.
One state, Florida, reported 15,299 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, the highest number of new cases in a single day by any state since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Last week, however, two of its sister ships, the USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz, completed rare dual-carrier exercises in the South China Sea. The admirals in charge of those exercises said the Navy had gone to “extraordinary measure” to achieve a high level of readiness.
“The entire team underway, everyone on board, is required to wear a mask,” Rear Adm. George Wikoff, commander of the Reagan carrier task force, said of the 12,000 personnel in the exercises..
The Navy has also spaced out mealtimes, instituted social distancing and brought aboard specialists including microbiologists and extra health personnel, said Wikoff.
But a worsening Covid-19 situation on Okinawa could set back US efforts in the Pacific.
Kadena bills itself Keystone of the Pacific. Almost 18,000 Americans work on the base, which hosts US Air Force fighter jets, US Navy reconnaissance planes and its a major hub for US aircraft movement throughout the region, including frequent operations over the South China Sea.
