Two US military bases were closed in Okinawa, southern Japan, after an increase in the number of new HIV infections (Covid-19). Yesterday, Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Soga announced that 62 cases of the "Covid-19" epidemic were detected in the past days among the American forces stationed in Okinawa.
The majority of these cases were counted at a Marines air base in Futenma, as well as at another American base, Camp Hansen. The Marines administration in the Pacific responded by imposing closures until further notice, and stated according to the directions published on its account on the social networking site « Facebook »that these restrictions apply to all“ marines ”, as well as to civilians working in the place and their families.
The announcement of these two hotspots sparked tension with local Okinawa lawmakers, while many island residents protested the heavy US military presence.
The Okinawa archipelago was occupied by the United States after World War II and then returned to Tokyo in 1972. It houses a large portion of the approximately 50,000 American soldiers deployed in Japan, while it represents less than 1% of the country’s area.
The regional governor, Dini Tamaki, expressed his shock over the number of new infections from the Corona virus on US bases on the island. "I can only seriously doubt the effectiveness of their preventive measures to reduce the risk of infection," Tamaki told reporters.
The Okinawa administration asked the Japanese central government, as well as the US military authorities, to provide it with information about foci of injuries. She also requested that from now on, quarantine Americans and their families be quarantined.
 € ياباني A Japanese official questions the effectiveness of US bases prevention measures.